Toilet Tech

Neorest 600

Remember the last time you had one hand Twittering away on your Blackberry and the other hand playing with your iPhone's GPS? That was a moment to truly appreciate the staggering speed of technology's march towards progress.

Now imagine you were doing all that while sitting on the toilet. Whoosh, one flush just ended technology's march forward. Why? Because, despite the amalgam of technological advancements in phones, televisions, transportation, and the Internet, the one item we use everyday, multiple times a day - the ubiquitous toilet - has remained in the technological dark ages for centuries here.

For those that cry "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," they should check out a washroom in Japan. Japan takes their toilets very seriously. The Japanese company Toto is the world's largest toilet manufacturer and sells the world's most advanced toilet, the Neorest 600.

One look at the online demo and you will see that the Neorest 600 may actually live up to being called a throne. To start, a motion sensor detects when you approach and automatically opens the lid. Your seat has the option of being heated, which you can manage from a wireless remote control that handles all of the Neorest's functionality. When you're finished, you control the position and pressure of a self-cleaning nozzle that washes you, front and back, with a warm water spray, and subsequently dries the area with bursts of warm air. Also, the bowl's architecture helps initiate a cyclone flushing pattern that results in low water consumption (six liters per flush) and zero lag time for further use (no waiting for water to refill). The bowl has its own internal deodorizer, and when you get up to leave, the lid closes on its own.

Now, that is progress! This type of porcelain magic will cost you around USD5000 (RM17500). Most Japanese cannot afford this model, but still have washlets (as they call them) with similar functionality. Toto has very recently began aggressively marketing the Neorest line in Europe, citing the product as relevant for today because its water nozzle washing eliminates the need for toilet paper, which would save money and help the environment. Perhaps recent economic and environmental pressures will lead us to reconsider and join the modern era of toilet technology, especially when men, in particular, realize that this gizmo can be programmed to automatically put the toilet seat down when you walk away.

- Aku rasa hotel2 kat msia patut beli toilet camni, ini harap hotel jek mahal, pegi toilet dia, takde paip air? takde water spray? abiss camne aku nak basuh??? kalau buang yg kecik takpe..kalau yg besar? takkan main lap pakai tisu jek,ingat negara mat saleh ka, byk hotel aku pegi yg camni.. at least kalau ada water spray tu ok la kot..