Japanese smart toilet reveals what your bathroom habits say about you
Toto, manufacturer of the pioneering Washlet, is about to launch a 'smart' lavatory in its popular Neorest range, incorporating a scanner that tracks and records the shape, texture and quantity of deposits.
'With the push of a button, the Neorest records the state of daily bowel movements and provides a variety of advice suitable for each individual, such as dietary habits and recommended exercises, via the app,' the company said. 'Daily wellness is something you can continue naturally without any effort. Make the toilet the gateway to your health.'
Masashi Kawada, one of the developers of the technology, said: 'To be honest, I have no interest in my own bowel movements and am the type of person who will go to the toilet quickly. But through the development of this product I began to think about my own body and diet.'
The faecal scanner uses the same technology as a barcode reader by directing light at its object of scrutiny. 'It reads the stool that falls into the toilet bowl, converts it into numbers and classifies its characteristics,' said Yuuta Saka of Toto.
Japan has led the world in toilet design, with the slogan 'even your bottom can be beautiful'. Picture: Getty Images
The smartphone app classifies stools into seven categories of shape, texture and colour, including granular, banana-shaped, liquid, ochre, brown and dark brown. Stool volume is categorised as high, medium or low. The app also monitors frequency of bowel movements. The lavatory costs between ¥493,900 and ¥542,300 ($5113 to $5614).
Japan has the most sophisticated lavatories in the world. Since the first model appeared in 1980, with the advertising slogan 'Don't let people say behind your back that you have a dirty bottom', automated washing lavatories are now a feature in a majority of Japanese homes.
Toto, the world's largest plumbing manufacturer, reported the equivalent of $7.5bn in global sales last year. Its most famous model, the Washlet, is the lavatory that shoots back. By manipulating an elaborate control panel, a nozzle hidden beneath the seat can be extended, aimed and fired to direct jets of cold, warm or hot water. The pressure, temperature and angle of the jets are adjustable, and an inbuilt hot-air fan blow-dries the cleansed posterior.
Four out of five Japanese households use a washing lavatory, made by Toto or one of its smaller competitors, each day. Washlets are already sold in China and South Korea, and are making inroads into North America: Toto's sales in the Americas last year were $US491 million ($755 million), 20 per cent higher than the year before. Toto Washlet toilets are also sold in Australia.
However, the Washlet is an acquired taste and, despite several attempts over the years, the company has had less success in Europe. In Japan, the device caught on after innovative television advertisements, featuring a female pop singer, and slogans such as 'Even your bottom can be beautiful' and 'Your bottom will like it after only three tries'.
The Times
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