Japanese manufacturer Toto is keen to show how its “intelligent” toilets can be good for the environment and improve people’s experience in the bathroom.
“It scans and delivers warm aerated water” to the user, TOTO spokeswoman Lenora Campos said about the toilets in a news story on Canada’s ctv.ca. “It washes and then dries you. We can be clean without paper products.”
TOTO’s toilet is also self-cleaning. ‘After usage, the toilet cleans and sanitizes itself with electrolysed water. And because of its coating of titanium dioxide and zirconium, nothing sticks to the bowl. That means it can go for a year without cleaning, avoiding the use of environmentally harmful chemicals, TOTO said.’
And, living up to its “intelligent” moniker, the high-tech toilet also opens, closes, and flushes automatically.
‘None of this is new to many Japanese or visitors to Japan – Campos said about 70 percent of Japanese homes use this kind of washlet system. However, the idea is gaining ground in other countries. Toto has been selling their Neorest model in the US and Europe, and they recently introduced a new version at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.’
This new model – a more water-efficient wall-hung toilet that takes up less space as its tank and drain are in the wall – will be introduced in Europe this year with plans to expand into the US market in 2017.
‘One thing that may be hard to digest for users is the price: a list price of $10,000 for the original Neorest, and possibly more for the new model. However, TOTO USA president William Strang said its customers are the best promoters of the intelligent toilet.’
“Once they test-drive this, they don’t want to go back,” he said.