Which Toilet Deserves Your Business?

Sometimes there really are instances where an invention comes along and it becomes near impossible to replace it. Either the invention has reached its zenith of development, or practical technology severely limits the progress of the device. For example: an airplane will always have wings because physics requires so; a wingless airplane is no longer an airplane. Wheels operate untouched, at over 3,000 years old and still going strong. An example of technology restricting development can be found in the keyboard at your very fingertips; while a more efficient means of character input is foreseeable, that doesn't mean it's imminent.

And there are objects which for some reason, be it disinterest or foulness (and in this instance literally), that have designs that remain stagnant for years, despite obvious advancements.

By now you've probably surmised I'm talking about the toilet. I'll do my best not to be indecent and in exchange I expect your absolute best playground behavior (I understand, this is CR4). In truth, sewage systems have been a major facilitator in civil engineering and refusing its consideration is uncomfortable in several ways.

So today we take a small look at toilets: their types, designs, and future.

Before toilets, urban humans repulsively disposed of waste in city streets (there was a time where an outhouse was preferable). Though the business was taken care of indoors, the waste was disposed of in alleys and gutters. Today we know such poor sanitation led to disease on epidemic levels, and the reform of handling filth has been called the "greatest medical advance[ment] since 1840."

English poet and "saucy Godson" to Queen Elizabeth I, Sir John Harington, is inventor of the first flush toilet. His invention had a flush valve to control water in the tank and a wash-down design to clear the bowl. Though he installed one in Richmond Palace and the device earned her favor, the Queen refused to use it. It would be another 290 years until Thomas Crapper (yes, that's really his name) perfected the design and was able to mass produce the flush toilet. Otherwise, flush toilets have remained principally unimproved since the early 1900s, when a vortex mechanism was invented to help keep toilet bowls clean. The only notable exception would be in 1980 when Bruce Thompson invented a dual-flush toilet for water-conscious Aussies. And the video-series Smarter Every Day invented a method to prevent 'splash back'.

Though much of the western hemisphere utilizes the flush toilet, much more of the world sticks to the squat toilet. Used somewhat differently, they still incorporate water ballasts, piping, and drainage. These toilets are particularly prominent in the Middle East, Far East, and Southern Asia. Frequent travelers debate about the comfort levels of both designs, but some medical researchers argue that sitting toilets may actually be bad for your health: sitting and reading a newspaper results in a daily dose of current events and unnecessary strain on the colon, possibly leading to diverticulosis.

Of course, Japan has added many electronic features to toilets: retractable bidets located in the bowl clean each user; seats are often electrically warmed; hot or cool air may keep an operator's toosh dry or fresh. Some Japanese companies are working on toilets that can analyze stool samples and provide medical stats, such as blood sugar and body fat.

Perhaps the area that needs the most attention is making sanitized waste removal available in third world nations without sewage protocols. The World Toilet Organization estimates that 2.5 billion (billion, with a 'B') do not have access to a clean toilet, and in some developing countries up to 40% of illnesses are directly attributed to poor waste removal. (Though it's not just poorly sanitized toilets that kill, right Elvis?) As such, a number of advocacy groups have been established to increase awareness. In 2011, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation donated $265 million to spur innovation in sanitation. Reinvent the Toilet is a science expo that awards up to $100,000 for sustainable toilet designs. 2012's top prize went to a group from the California Institute of Technology that prototyped a toilet that uses solar power to break down solid waste to hydrogen gas, treated water, and inert, organic material.

While billions of people need sewage removal in general, millions in R&D has been spent on an area of waste management where users are apathetic, and often confused. An effective female urinal has eluded manufacturers for decades. Urinals do not require any level of skin contact and are flushed with considerably less water than a toilet. American Standard produced a female urinal from 1950 to 1974, but the design required the same space and water as a typical flush toilet; it never caught on. Many designs require a woman to remove their pants and awkwardly back over the urinal. At outdoor sporting and concert events, organizers have attempted to alleviate lines by providing female urination alternatives. Devices such as the P-mate and WizBiz (yes, apparently it's required to have a punny name) have been distributed at these events, and they are essentially hygienic funnels that allow women to pee standing up. Finally, some portable female urinals have caught on in Europe, but have yet to gain acclaim in North America.

I'd say toilets are in definitive need of an engineering overhaul. It could also be that toilets are just bad luck: take a look at the list of people who have bit the big one while doing their business. Heck, toilets sunk a submarine!

Some people sit; some squat. Some women stand just like men. Yet almost 1/3 of the world does not have access to any type of sanitary sewage removal and that is by far where most of the toilet innovation should be focused. Yes, reducing urination discrimination is great, but something tells me more women would rather have the world's sewage problem solved than having the ability to pee standing up. It's an issue of business versus social issues, as it often is when innovation goes stale.

Resources

Images credits: Dave Harman blog; Wikipedia; Jane Austen; Inventor Spot; Faucet Depot; Sinba Design; Paperblog)

Bloomberg - To Seriously Improve Global Health, Reinvent the Toilet

Wikipedia - Urinal; Human defecation postures; Dual-flush toilet; John Harington; Toilets in Japan; Flush toilet; Female urination devices

Washington Post - Gates Foundation makes poop a priority, puts toilet innovation front and center