Hasta La Gadget!

While I’ve never experienced them firsthand, I’ve heard tales of Japan’s futuristic Buck Rogers toilets. While the US has become complacent with the singular functionality of our toilets, the Japanese are living it up in the bathroom with heated seats, water jets with pressure and temperature controls, hot-air dryers, and background music.

And now, the Japanese are rocketing their toilets into the information age.

The newest model offers an instant health check-up every time someone makes a deposit in the porcelain bank. The toilet has the ability to collect urine and measure it for sugar content, temperature checks, blood pressure, and more. The information can then be displayed on a wall-mounted display.

The so-called “Intelligence Toilet” is available from the Toto company for between $4,100 and $5,850.

If you’ve gotten through your adolescent, scatological tee-hee-ing, you will appreciate the role these toilets can serve for the well-being of the elderly and the sick. It can add an element of dignity and self-sufficiency to patients who otherwise might need the aid of a nurse or caretaker to take these measurements.

Thank you, Japan, for your magical toilets from the future.

via AFP