Hasta La Gadget!

I have a son and a daughter and I can say easily that my son was harder to potty train than my daughter. My son would runaround and pee on anything and everything from the dog, the door, the neighbor (true story), to our houseplants. But, he refused to pee in the toilet. We tried everything from putting Cheerios in the bowl to screaming and cursing and right before we were ready to change his name to R. Kelly, he finally started using the toilet.

Considering how kids love tablets, had the iPad been around eight or nine years ago, I would have absolutely purchased the iPotty.

It’s a little toddler toilet that has a holder allowing you to put your iPad on the front of the toilet. The idea is that fun iPad apps will lure your little one to sit on the throne and play while they tinkle or drop a stinky load.

CTA Digital says the iPotty toilet will be available in March via Amazon.com for a mere $39.99 (USD) – tablet not included, of course. Parents of little boys should be warned that they can and will pee EVERYWHERE (seriously, I mean everywhere.) They say the holder is splashproof, but you’ll want to check it out before you buy one, as your AppleCare warranty definitely doesn’t cover urine damage.

[via Huffington Post]

You may not have an iron throne at home, but there is another throne that can be a source of conflict in your kingdom – the porcelain one. And when you play the game of that throne, you pee or you poop.

Of course you’re free to stick it anywhere, but this decal will make trips to bathroom more regal.

You can order the decal from PeelAndStickDecals on Etsy for $30 (USD).

[via Ian Brooks]

As we head towards the home stretch of the 2012 presidential campaign, we’re closely watching both candidates to see what they’re doing for the environment. The Obama administration scored a major win for fuel-efficient cars this week by finalizing new standards that will increase the fuel economy of cars to the equivalent of 54.5 mpg by 2025. But what about the cars that are currently on the road? This week we test drove a 2013 Ford Focus Electric through the streets of San Francisco (we admit, we did get a bit of range anxiety). And in one of the most interesting automotive stories from the past week, the world’s first 3D-printed car — the Areion EV– reached a top speed of 141 kph.

Continue reading Inhabitat’s Week in Green: go-kart made of Lego bricks, TOTO toilet bike and the launch of ‘Willow Glass’

Filed under: Misc, Transportation, Science

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: go-kart made of Lego bricks, TOTO toilet bike and the launch of ‘Willow Glass’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a sign of just how backed up our patent system is, Sony was finally awarded a series of claims for a vein-reading mouse it filed back in January of 2009. The idea is to use an image of the blood vessels in your index finger as an authentication system. But, instead of unlocking a PC, the identity would be associated with a set of preferences — automatically boosting contrast and text size on a screen for the elderly. While the patented claims apply exclusively to computer mice, Sony envisions vein readers everywhere, personalizing and simplifying life for the aging… even in the bathroom. Another embodiment of the system involves scanning a persons finger as they turn the doorknob to the lavatory. Once authenticated, data is sent to the toilet which automatically lifts the seat, then adjusts the force and angle of the bidet based on your preferences. Once again, Japan proves why it’s winning the race in toilet technology.

Sony patents vein reading system for accessible computers, toilets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The next time you decide to lay a string of logs after a particular fiber-intensive meal, you might want to do your bit for the environment too with the No-Mix Vacuum Toilet. This particular toilet system was developed by a team of scientists and research assistants from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, where it will basically transform poo into electrical power – not to mention help you save 90% of the water that normally ends up flushed down in a standard issue toilet, too. According to associate professor Wang Jin-Yuan, “Waste is not waste, but a misplaced resource. With this new toilet system, 90 percent of water can be saved, so can you imagine how much water we waste every other day?” (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Bar in the UK lets you play games while taking a leak, Theoretical toilet transforms waste to electricity,