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Ladies and Gentlemen, the Electronic Toilet
BlueCup writes "The bathroom has been one of the few places people frequent where digital technology hasn't taken over. Most people use toilets more often than iPods, yet the humble American commode has remained as low tech as things get, essentially a combination of pipes, levers and flaps.
Computers are now invading the bathroom. For several years, manufacturers have been quietly pushing toilets and toilet seats costing $1,000 or more that use small, built-in computers and remote controls to add new features that warm, wash and dry you. As bathrooms become more upscale and luxurious, a digital toilet fits right in."
I was just in Tokyo and all the toilets in nice places are heated and (you have the option to) squirt warm water up your crack... Not news.
Yes, here in Japan the 'washlet' is very popular. You'll find it in most department stores, restaurants, and houses. However, in train stations and public spaces, you'll find the opposite end of the spectrum: washiki - the squatter. It's arguably the cleanest since you don't actually touch anything (no seat, no bum sweat residue, no stray hair, ...). The first go is a challenge though: a delicate balance between, well, balance and positioning.
I prefer the 'dirty' washlets.
Who's your user, program?
It was written in 1939, but set in the 1920's.
The Joad kids lived on a farm all their life and have never seen a 'real' toilet and when they flush one, they actually thought they broke it. Steinbeck wasn't dramatizing anything, people in the 1920's (and even today) have never seen a flush toilet or any of the other marvels of technology that we take for granted.
That said, I'd pay extra for a heated toilet seat, even without the retractable bidet and ass blow dryer. IMHO, that is more than an incremental improvement.
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
Most everything is high-tech, including the john. That is if you've got a western-style toilet. Many of the nice places automatically turn on a seat warmer and exhaust fan as soon as you sit down, and there are a number of buttons there which spray jets of water at your anus to wash it, and some others that I'm afraid to try... However, if you have one of them Japanese-style toilets, God help you if you need to take a dump...
Qu'on me donne six lignes écrites de la main du plus honnête homme, j'y trouverai de quoi le faire pendre.
it's not just a tiny dribble. it's in fact an adjustable spray of water. note to everyone: don't try to go and set it to the max pressure immediately. and in case if you're still wondering if it's effective, up to a certain point, it is. with that said, you better watch your diet otherwise you're gonna have a really messy time.
. o O ( TwO hEaDs ArE mOrE tHaN oNe... )
I think you're kidding but....
I'm quite sure you can use the toilet if the power is off. It just won't be warm and wash your butt for you. I'm pretty sure as well that most people who own one will still keep toilet paper or tissues in the bathroom.
Given that these things are everywhere in Japan (and bidets have been around in europe for half a century at least), I don't see what the big deal is. Some people like to be squeaky clean, and have some cash to spare. I can think of lots of more frivolous ways to spend a few hundred bucks.
To be honest, a lot of what is described is available in Japan already. 17-button toilets are not too uncommon in decent hotels there, and I have seen the future and want one of their seats in my house. Such glorious electronic features include: :), although it does feel like the toilet has just been used by a really fat person at first so takes some getting used to)
- Bidet with adjustable pressure, temperature, etc
- Noise maker which plays background noise so people cannot hear you making bodily noise (not so important but if you have shy relatives over and have a small house it can be beneficial)
- Automatic seat heater (although this sounds pointless if you live somewhere with harsh winters and bad heating, the cold toilet seat in the morning is pretty horrible... this is the greatest invention since sliced bread I think
- Builtin extractor fan to remove bad smells instantly
In addition to all this, some outlandish/development level toilets are now performing analysis of your output to determine medical problems (sugar levels, etc).
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I've come to find that these are actually quite common here too.. see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilets_in_Japan
actually, the bidet was not invented to wash your behind, but as a preservative, used to wash out semen after copulation and thereby prevent conception. It then developed into an asswasher.
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Actually American flap-operated toilets are over-simplified. It's very easy for the flaps to fail open or to leak, and a shitload of water (or more accurately, many shitload-disposals'-worth of water) gets wasted because of this.
UK toilets use a siphon-operated system instead. Push the lever down, it sucks water round the top of the siphon, and the cistern empties using that siphon effect. The great thing with that is that it simply *can't* leak (unless you manage to get a hole in the pipe, which is majorly unlikely).
Grab.
Yep. If you haven't noticed, doorknobs are more and more being replaced by doors that push open, open automatically, or, nominally, by door handles that do not require grasping in order to turn them.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) makes it very clear that you have to make accommodations for anyone with any sort of disability to get around. This includes replacing or augmenting doorknobs with other ways of opening doors because some people with severe arthritis, Parkinson's, mental handicaps, spinal cord injuries and some other disorders simply cannot turn a doorknob.
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Actually, according to The Great Wiki, that is a misconception created by American soldiers during WWII. They first encountered bidets in European brothels, leading them to the assumption that they were designed for douching. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidet
This whole article isn't "news" to the Japanese. Here's a picture of a toilet that I took inside the cheapest youth hostel in Tokyo that had rooms available when I was there:
. . hmm, looks like the URL is down. Well, lets grab one that looks the same from images.google.com.a neseToilet.jpg
http://www.daughtersoftiresias.org/Japan%20Trip/.
http://www.crappersquarterly.com/images/japan/Jap
You see "warmlets" even in the most middle-of-nowhere places. Part of the reason why toilet tech is so advanced over there is that western-style toilets are competing against tradition -- the ever-annoying squat toilet -- and so need all the bells and whistles they can get.
But this Rottweiler not only is snarling and frothing at the mouth; it also went to Harvard.