Japanese and UK inventions for the bathroom

There is nothing like laying back and relaxing in the bath. The trouble is that many of us cannot bear to be parted from our cell phone even for the time it takes to have a bath.

 

Technology has certainly taken over our lives and it seems we can’t switch off from it. Our smartphones have to come everywhere with us and that includes the bathroom.

 

There are a variety of waterproof covers you can get for your smart phones which seal them inside a plastic case so that water cannot get in. If you want something that looks less bulky there are a number of companies and products that can be used to protect your smartphone with a nano-coating. This second options retains your smart or iPhone’s sleek appearance but the waterproof case is perfectly adequate when you’re taking a bath and the style of your phone isn’t in question. Unless you plan to share you bath time with others of course!

 

Another alternative might be the Ofuro Demo Chotto Mottete produced by Japanese company Thanko. The translation of this product means ‘hold this in the bath for me’ and refers to an inflatable pillow which has an extended arm that you can attach your smart phone to with Velcro.

 

The length of the arm is adjustable too so that you can choose how close you need the phone and by flipping the pillow over, you can also change which side you have the arm.

 

 

You can also use your pillow in your bed which means it will hold your smart phone for you to look at there too. Ingenious. Or it would be if it didn’t look so tacky!

 

Thanko is also the company that offer talking milk bottles that remind you to close the fridge door to save energy and the remarkable Toto Washlet Hi-Tech Toilet seat that slips onto your toilet seat and handles the cleaning! You do need to complete its installation with power and water connections. Then you just need you to press the buttons and it sprays your toilet and deodorises it!

 

 

Back home

Students at the University of Huddersfield have also come up with an ingenious toilet idea. The Iota folding toilet does ‘what it says on the tin’! It folds up to take up a mere third of the space a normal toilet does and it saves water too.

 

When the toilet is in the ‘seated’ position its U-bend disengages. As soon as it is folded up it re-engages and then flushes automatically using just 2.5 litres of water. This arguably saves 10,000 litres of water per person a year.

 

The closed seat also keeps all those germs from flushing sealed away too.

 

You can watch the Iota folding toilet in action in this video

 

If you’re looking for more conventional but utterly stylish toilets and accessories for your bathroom, look no further than Livinghouse.