Smart toilets measuring stool's colour, hardness on sale in Japan, targeting health-conscious users
Demonstration of a smart toilet measuring the characteristics of a model stool.
TOKYO - Toilet maker Toto will begin selling on Aug 1 a toilet equipped with a sensor that measures the colour, hardness and amount of stool.
The company says this is the first such product in Japan for general residential use.
Two models of Toto's high-end 'Neorest' series toilets will be equipped with the function.
The suggested retail price, including tax, starts at 493,900 yen (S$4,280). The company aims to sell 7,300 units per year in the third year of the launch.
A light-emitting diode (LED) built into the models sheds light on falling stool, and the sensor receives the reflected light to measure the length, contour and surface shape.
The colour is recorded in three levels (ochre, brown and dark brown), the hardness in seven levels (including liquid and semi-solid) and the volume in three levels.
Up to six users can check the data on their smartphones. THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore HSA launches anti-vaping checks near 5 institutes of higher learning
Opinion The workplace needs to step up on mental health to match Singapore's efforts at the national level
Business Market versus mission: What will Income Insurance choose?
Singapore Singapore Zoo celebrates reptile baby boom, including hatchings of endangered species
Life First look at the new Singapore Oceanarium at Resorts World Sentosa
Business Singapore key exports surprise with 13% rebound in June amid tariff uncertainty
Opinion AI and education: We need to know where this sudden marriage is heading
Singapore Coffee Meets Bagel's Singpass check: Why I'll swipe right on that

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Western aid cuts cede ground to China in South-east Asia: Study
Find out what's new on ST website and app. US President Donald Trump has halted about US$60 billion in development assistance – most of the US' overseas aid programme. SYDNEY - China is set to expand its influence over South-east Asia's development as the Trump administration and other Western donors slash aid, a study by an Australian think-tank said on July 20. The region is in an 'uncertain moment', facing cuts in official development finance from the West as well as 'especially punitive' US trade tariffs, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute said. 'Declining Western aid risks ceding a greater role to China, though other Asian donors will also gain in importance,' it said. Total official development finance to South-east Asia – including grants, low-rate loans and other loans – grew 'modestly' to US$29 billion (S$37 billion) in 2023, the annual report said. But US President Donald Trump has since halted about US$60 billion in development assistance – most of the United States' overseas aid programme. Seven European countries – including France and Germany – and the European Union have announced US$17.2 billion in aid cuts to be implemented between 2025 and 2029, it said. And the United Kingdom has said it is reducing annual aid by US$7.6 billion, redirecting government money towards defence. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Priority for singles, higher quota for second-timer families to kick in from HDB's July BTO exercise Singapore 1 in 3 vapes here laced with etomidate; MOH working with MHA to list it as illegal drug: Ong Ye Kung Asia Johor Bahru collision claims lives of e-hailing driver and Singapore passenger Sport Arsenal arrive in Singapore for pre-season matches with AC Milan and Newcastle Business Crypto exchange Tokenize to shut down Singapore operations Singapore 2-in-1 airport police robot on trial can patrol and serve as PMD with ride-hailing feature Singapore ComfortDelGro to discipline driver who flung relative's wheelchair out of taxi Singapore Minor Issues: Why I didn't send my daughters to my brand-name primary school Based on recent announcements, overall official development finance to South-east Asia will fall by more than US$2 billion by 2026, the study projected. 'These cuts will hit South-east Asia hard,' it said. 'Poorer countries and social sector priorities such as health, education, and civil society support that rely on bilateral aid funding are likely to lose out the most.' Higher-income countries already capture most of the region's official development finance, said the institute's South-east Asia Aid Map report. Poorer countries such as East Timor, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are being left behind, creating a deepening divide that could undermine long-term stability, equity and resilience, it warned. Despite substantial economic development across most of South-east Asia, around 86 million people still live on less than US$3.65 a day, it said. 'Global concern' 'The centre of gravity in South-east Asia's development finance landscape looks set to drift East, notably to Beijing but also Tokyo and Seoul,' the study said. As trade ties with the United States have weakened, South-east Asian countries' development options could shrink, it said, leaving them with less leverage to negotiate favourable terms with Beijing. 'China's relative importance as a development actor in the region will rise as Western development support recedes,' it said. Beijing's development finance to the region rose by US$1.6 billion to US$4.9 billion in 2023 – mostly through big infrastructure projects such as rail links in Indonesia and Malaysia, the report said. At the same time, China's infrastructure commitments to South-east Asia surged fourfold to almost US$10 billion, largely due to the revival of the Kyaukphyu Deep Sea Port project in Myanmar. By contrast, Western alternative infrastructure projects had failed to materialise in recent years, the study said. 'Similarly, Western promises to support the region's clean energy transition have yet to translate into more projects on the ground – of global concern given coal-dependent South-east Asia is a major source of rapidly growing carbon emissions.' AFP

Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
Priority for singles, higher quota for second-timer families to kick in from HDB's July BTO exercise
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The July exercise will also see enhancements to the Deferred Income Assessment scheme and the Fresh Start Housing Grant take effect. SINGAPORE – A slew of policy changes will kick in, starting with the upcoming HDB's Build-To-Order (BTO) flat sales exercise in July, benefiting singles as well as families looking to upgrade or right-size their homes. Laying out the changes in a statement on July 20, the Housing Board said the one benefiting singles involves a previously announced new F amily C are S cheme , meant to also provide singles with priority access to BTO flats when they buy one near or with their parents. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had announced the scheme in his first National Day Rally speech in 2024 as a means to bolster intergenerational support among families. Without the update, priority access would remain reserved only for married couples and their parents. HDB on July 20 said first-time single buyers currently have up to 65 per cent of two-room flexi BTO flats and up to 5 per cent of Sale of Balance Flats (SBFs) set aside for them after such flats are allocated to seniors. Within these quotas, up to 30 per cent of two-room flexi BTO flats and up to 2 per cent of SBFs will be set aside for first-timer singles applying under the new scheme. The remaining quotas will be for other first-timer singles, HDB said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 1 in 3 vapes here laced with etomidate; MOH working with MHA to list it as illegal drug: Ong Ye Kung Singapore HSA extends hotline hours, launches new platform to report vaping offences Singapore 2-in-1 airport police robot on trial can patrol and serve as PMD with ride-hailing feature Asia Tearful relatives await news of victims in Vietnam boat capsize Singapore ComfortDelDro to discipline driver who flung relative's wheelchair out of taxi Multimedia How to make the most out of small homes in Singapore Asia Over 380,000 people affected by autogate glitch at JB checkpoint over 2 days Singapore Minor Issues: Why I didn't send my daughters to my brand-name primary school HDB, meanwhile, specified that there will be no change to the existing priority access for married couples and seniors. The new scheme has a second component which grants singles priority if they jointly apply for two units in the same BTO project with their parents. But this would kick in only from the October sales exercise, HDB said. The change pertaining to families is for those applying for a BTO for the second time. HDB said it will increase the allocation quota of three-room and larger flats for this group by 5 percentage points from the July exercise . This is to support these families' 'upgrading aspirations and right-sizing plans', it stated. With the change, up to 20 per cent of three-room Standard flats and up to 10 per cent of three-room Plus and Prime flats and four-room and larger flats would be set aside for second-timer families. First-timer families would, however, still have at least 80 to 90 per cent of three-room and larger flats set aside for them, HDB noted. The July exercise would also see enhancements to the Deferred Income Assessment (DIA) scheme and the Fresh Start Housing Grant take effect, HDB said. The DIA scheme lets couples defer their income assessment until nearer the key collection date, so they can qualify for a bigger loan as their incomes are likely to be more stable and higher by then, without deferring their flat application. Under the enhanced DIA scheme, only one of the two parties needs to be a recent or current full-time student or national serviceman before a couple can apply for a new flat with its help. Previously, both parties needed to meet this requirement. The increase of the Fresh Start Housing Grant from $50,000 to $75,000 for second-timer public rental households with children was announced at the Ministry of National Development's Committee of Supply debate earlier this year. HDB said this change, also to kick in from the July exercise, will help eligible second-timer families use the increased grant to buy a new two-room flexi or three-room standard BTO, or SBF flat, on a shorter lease. About 5,500 BTO flats in Bukit Merah, Bukit Panjang, Clementi, Sembawang, Tampines, Toa Payoh and Woodlands will be launched in the July exercise, HDB said. Some 5,030 flats were launched in the last BTO exercise on Feb 10 . More than 4,600 SBF units will also be up for picks in the concurrent SBF exercise to take place in July, it added. 'We will continue to refine our public housing policies to keep public housing affordable, accessible and inclusive for Singaporeans,' HDB said.

Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
Crypto exchange Tokenize Xchange to shut down Singapore operations
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Tokenize Xchange founder and chief executive Hong Qi Yu declined to comment on why the firm was denied a licence by the MAS. SINGAPORE – Cryptocurrency exchange Tokenize Xchange will cease its operations here from September 30, just over a year after raising US$11.5 million (S$14.9 million) in funding and announcing plans to ramp up hiring. The Singapore-headquartered firm said on July 20 that it will shut down the business following the Monetary Authority of Singapore's (MAS) decision not to grant it a licence to offer digital payment token services here. Tokenize was previously operating under an exemption. The firm said it will shift its operations to Labuan, a federal territory in Malaysia, where it is in the process of acquiring a company that holds a Digital Financial Services License issued by the Labuan Financial Services Authority. The deal is expected to close by September 30. It will also seek regulatory approval from the Abu Dhabi Global Market, an international financial centre and free economic zone located in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Tokenize said all 15 of its employees in Singapore have been given notice and will leave the company by September 30. When contacted, Tokenize founder and chief executive Hong Qi Yu declined to comment on why the firm was denied a licence by the MAS. But he told The Straits Times on July 20 that Labuan will allow Tokenize to operate under a 'recognised regulatory framework tailored for cross-border digital asset services'. '(Labuan) also offers greater flexibility, tax efficiency, and access to international markets, supporting the platform's global growth ambitions,' he said. Tokenize said its Singapore customers can no longer buy or sell cryptocurrencies on its platform, and may only transfer their cryptocurrency holdings to other exchanges, where they can convert them to cash and make withdrawals. But users can continue to withdraw cash directly from the exchange based on the Singapore dollar value of each user's portfolio, which includes both fiat and cryptocurrency holdings This value, viewable in users' wallets, determines the withdrawal tier they are placed in under a phased schedule. Users with portfolios below $10,000 have been able to withdraw the cash portion of their holdings and transfer their cryptocurrencies to other exchanges since July 17. Those with portfolios between $10,000 and $99,999 may do so from August 1, while users with $100,000 and above can start from September 1. All withdrawals and transfers must be completed by September 30. ST has reached out to the MAS for comment. While Tokenize serves retail and institutional investors in Singapore and overseas - including Malaysia and Vietnam - its exit from the Republic comes after the MAS said on June 6 that digital token service providers targeting only overseas customers must be licensed by June 30 or cease operations . ST understands that the move has triggered an exodus of unlicensed cryptocurrency exchanges from Singapore. More than 500 staff - from management to junior levels across firms supporting the Republic's fintech ecosystem - are expected to relocate to the United Arab Emirates or Hong Kong, where regulators are seen to take a softer stance on digital assets.