The restroom of the future is here.
Conceptualised by Kazoo Sato, chief creative officer at advertising agency TBWA/Hakuhodo in collaboration with TBWA’s Disruption Lab, this hemispherical ‘contactless’ public toilet in Tokyo works just like Siri. Upon entering it, you can activate voice commands by simply saying ‘Hi Toilet’, just like any voice assistant – except better – because it responds to both English and Japanese phrases. All functions inside this facility are voice-controlled – you can give it commands to ‘flush’ or ‘turn on the tap’, all without touching anything. It also has a music system that can play tunes to, presumably, muffle the sounds while you do your business. Though, according to a study, the 528 Hz frequency stimulates bowel movements, so it plays therapeutic music at that frequency to assist users.
An innovative lavatory that’s entirely hands-free, making awkward attempts to flush the toilet with our feet or open the door with our elbows a thing of the past? It sure is a long time coming.
“This idea has been in place long before the arrival of COVID-19, but COVID-19 accelerated the acceptance of this unique user experience in terms of ‘toilet being contactless’.” explained Sato.
This revolutionary restroom is located in Shibuya’s Nanago Dori Park. Come for the technology, stay for the hygiene (or aesthetics)!
By Editorial Team / October 5, 2021
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