We’ve talked about smart toilets, equipped with cameras that can analyze photos of users’ waste to assess gut health. Startup Thorne makes one, as does Kohler.
Recently, technologist Simon Fondrie-Teitler alleged the data Kohler collects is not “end-to-end encrypted,” as the company claimed, so here’s a less intrusive toilet innovation: devices that mask bathroom noise.
In 1979…
… toilet distributor Orihara Manufacturing launched Etiquettone, a device that served as both a deodorizer and a noisemaker. It was wildly popular, especially because it saved water amid a drought in Tokyo, per The New York Times.
Why? Well, people often flushed to cover up any embarrassing noises they might make while using public toilets, then flushed again when they were finished. The Etiquettone got people to only flush when needed.
Orihara never secured a patent for the invention, so other companies — including toilet maker Toto Ltd. — began making their own.
Today…
… such devices are catching on outside of Japan, with companies offering devices that play a variety of sounds — nature noises, music, gunfire, etc.
- Australian entrepreneur Donna Burke released Royal Flushh with a Japanese manufacturer. It attaches to the wall and plays nature sounds. Burke told the NYT that one customer, annoyed with her husband’s bathroom noise, called the device a “marriage saver.”
- Toilet manufacturer Lixil partnered with Roland to create a motion-activated device that adjusts sound frequency as needed.
- Faux Fan is a portable noisemaking device you can travel with, such as when sharing a hotel room or Airbnb. (Another way to save water, as some people might otherwise run the faucet.)
- Loodio is a motion-activated device that plays music whenever you enter the bathroom and shuts off when you leave.
Privacy, please
It’s not just bathroom noise, of course.
Kohler offers a $150 toilet seat that deodorizes unwanted smells, while a freshener emits a pleasant scent. Sprays, like Poo-Pourri, are designed to cover up any unpleasant odors.
We could just embrace the fact that, as the children’s book says, “everybody poops.” But, TBF, nature sounds and perfumes do seem pretty luxurious.
Fun fact: Burke is also a voice artist and the voice of Japan’s bullet train.
Devices