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."

Japan?

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

washlets are better

[m4c north]

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.

Re:Asinine

[TubeSteak]

but each of these items works fundamentally the same as they have for hundreds of years such that a person from a hundred years ago could still recognize and interface with the device.

Have you ever read The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck?
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.

Go to Japan sometime

[dido]

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 [asahi-net.or.jp], God help you if you need to take a dump...

Re:Korean Toilets

[bangenge]

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.

Re:Power outages

[catbutt]

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.

Re:Current design is NOT optimal, far from it

[legoburner]

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:
- 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 :), although it does feel like the toilet has just been used by a really fat person at first so takes some getting used to)
- 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).

I see them all the time in Tokyo

[rhythmx]

I moved to Tokyo on business a few months ago, and (to my surprise) there were electronic controls on all the toilets in the office. Features include:

• deoderant fan
• bidet on/off
• bidet aim
• water pressure
• seat warmers

I've come to find that these are actually quite common here too.. see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilets_in_Japan [wikipedia.org]

Re:Listen up, people

[morie]

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.

Re:Asinine

[Grab]

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.

Re:Japan?

[Anonymous Coward]

You can see below.

Toilets in Japan [wikipedia.org]
TOTO's first "Washlet" TV-CM(1982) [youtube.com]
Oh, it was more than 20 years ago.

Re:Japan?

[braoult]

I have been living in Japan for many years, and I *never* saw toilets without flush. It can be on the wall sometimes, on the floor, but always separated from the "high-tech" part which is *only an add-on*. You buy "washlet", as they call them here, in electronic shops, and just put them on your toilets. They just cannot control the mechanical part which is already there.

I will say the same for paper. Washlet does not prevent paper to be there obviously.

Don't forget something: Japanese people are all ready for a "big" earthquake. They have plenty of water at home, batteries, portable radio, food, candles, etc... They are prepared to fill their bathroom with water if something happens and if they have time to do it. Who could believe they would have toilets which would only work with electric power?

By the way, some friends & family (including my parents and sister) came to Japan during these years. They all came back with washlet in their package and have them now installed in their home.

People who don't like it just don't push the buttons, it is simply an addon.

My 2 JPY.

Re:Asinine

[morgan_greywolf]

WTF. You serious? Why? If they can't open a freaking doorknob, what else can't they do? I mean, I'm all for ramps, hanicap parking and stuff, but there is a point where you just gotta say "look, you are going to need someone to do that for you".

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.

Re:Listen up, people

[Anonymous Coward]

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 [wikipedia.org]

Re:Asinine

[Rei]

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:

http://www.daughtersoftiresias.org/Japan%20Trip/ [daughtersoftiresias.org].. . hmm, looks like the URL is down. Well, lets grab one that looks the same from images.google.com.
http://www.crappersquarterly.com/images/japan/Japa neseToilet.jpg [crappersquarterly.com]

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.