To look for toilet advancments you must turn to the Japanese.

  They not only have seat warmers, automatic flushing mechanisms, automatic seat raisers and closers (one button for men and one for women), noisemakers to cover any unpleasant sounds you might make, they also have automatic scenting machines that in some places detect your foul smells and raise the level of deoderant in the air accordingly.

  These toilets also often use a jet of water and a blowdryer to replace toilet paper when it comes time to leave the comforts of the bowl, similar to a bidet system.

  To control all of these functions, the toilet has a control panel next to it, and possibly even a remote control.

  So as you can see, if you want toilet luxuries, Japan is the place to go.

  However, if you want efficiency I guess the Fremen Stillsuit from the Frank Herbert Dune series would be the ultimate achievement... if you could get used to the idea that you were drinking your own sweat, urine, and feces. On the other hand I think I'll stick with my good old American Standard (US) or Armitage Shanks (UK).

BTW: Think the Japanese bathroom fixation is weird? American Standards slogan is "Bathrooms made for the soul"

INFO FOR THIS WRITEUP RESEARCHED AT:

  • The Washington Post, Thursday, May 15 1997 But Do They Flush? Japan's High-Tech Toilets Do Nearly Everything, Even Redden Faces http://www.theplumber.com/japan.html
  • http://www.armitage-shanks.co.uk/
  • http://www.us.amstd.com/scripts/