Smart Toilets Arrive In The United States From Japan, Why Are They Smart?
We, as a people, are always connected. Either, we inhabit our numerous social networks or our lips are constantly buzzing, and most of us need gadgets to get through our daily lives. Now, it seems that going to the bathroom will become a connected activity, thanks to the smart toilets coming out of Japan.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Yoshiaki Fujimori wants to become the “Steve Jobs” of toilets. These smart toilets are packed with electronics and apps that make using the restroom the next technological craze. The smart toilet features include lids that automatically lift up, seats that heat up, built-in bidets making cleanup quick and easy, and a syncing feature that allows people to connect with their smartphones via Bluetooth so they can play music through the smart toilets’ speakers. That’s right! The smart toilet has music speakers!
Though a brand new novelty in the United States, the smart toilet is quite common in Japan. Three fourths of all Japanese homes contain such sophisticated toilets, most of them are made by one of two companies. The first is Toto Ltd. and the other is Lixil Corp.
However, the Examiner did clarify in their article that the smart toilets are a niche possession. There are people who are interested in adopting the smart toilet technology, some wanting them for personal use. But the question they brought up is how do you train toddlers or elderly people to use a smart toilet? Will it still work during a power outage? Does the smart toilet work manually in case its features stop functioning during an emergency?
Another fact to report is that most of the world still lacks the basic flush toilet we Americans, British, and other first-world countries are used to. Go to places like Burma or Mongolia, and you’ll come across people who still use a hole in the ground or an elevated hole over a river, which used in India. In the Middle East, people carry around water bottles to wash their hands after they do their business on the side of the street. Yes, it is that different in some parts of the world.
Also, are the smart toilets safe online? The reason why this is asked is because smart toilets have been hacked before, and who knows what may happen when the electronics on one of them are hacked, as reported by The Inquisitr. Also, something about electronics around water is a bit of a red flag. What if they install cameras on those smart toilets? Would that be an invasion of privacy? Will the NSA be watching as we prepare to sit on the bowl?
Knowing the direction of our technology, I wouldn’t be surprised if we even add games to it eventually. Maybe Apple can make their version and call it the iPoop. Who knows, right?
[Image via Bing]
