Toilet Innovation - Can the toilets be better?

Buckminster Fuller had some views about efficient plumbing. Toilets (public ones) tend to be linear. If they are radially located as Fuller suggested, the drainpipes can be minimised. The collected waste (using less water because of compact volume) can be suject to anaerobic fermentation to produce bio gas and then electricity.
Dr.Vasath Gowarikar, who was in VSSC Trivandrum (we collaborated on many biomedical projects then) later became DST chief. IISc Bangalore had found that a certain percentage of wild bamboo were naturally genetically modified and grew to a very large diameter. Gowarikar wanted to use these bamboos as toilet pipes directly under the seats, use minimal water and produce biogas.

Sad to relate he retired before much happened and like most such projects it went rudderless and got grounded as it was not very glamorous.

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One of most bad thing about toilets till date is waste of HUGE amount of water.
A new design should focus on minimal use of water.
I know several building which uses waterfree urinals .

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Little off-topic but Here is #-Link-Snipped-#, transparent floor and made on top of 15 floor building elevator shaft.

I had read the Gates story on giving the poop the priority.

I think that on toilet seats - when you are finished, the lid should close automatically, there should be a deodorizer activated inside the bowl and an air purifier should be activated emitting ions to cleanse the air in the room surrounding the bowl.

Okay - so saving water could be an important achievement / feature in the new toilet design. I like that point! What are the suggested ways to reduce the water consumption?

There may be ways as innovative as deodorizing and making toilets water free... but how to cope with public irresponsibility and lack of awareness that water is as precious a resource as electricity and petrol....

Unless, we all are equally keen on preserving water, it would hardly account for , whether we stop using water for bathing, or post usage of toilet... 😛

Use of pressuised water may be the solution on the question how to minimize water consumption but as our friends says awareness on importance of water plays a major role in it.
@inoop I had seen and used waterfree urinals but I doesn't seem to be impressed with the working and smell surrounding it.

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Last date: 12th November 2013

i have a point on this innovative idea
main problems in our india no world wide is all are ignoring the cleaning this is spreading many diseases this can be reduced with next generation public toilets

Give a thought on this»
toilet innovation:
people don't like to use their hands again over the tap or lever to flush the toilet especially in public restrooms.So i would like to have a gesture control enabled toilet managing system.It may give the user a good thought of safety .I agree that it may sound costly but this may be one of a good alternative where a good safer restroom cam be used.Anyone out there with any added technologies to be implemented in restrooms?

Using less water becomes more effective by use of pressured water as CSK Auto said. However, what we need to do is create more bio gas plants for production of effective fuel from sewage. This is the only way that we can actually save the environment.

Use of Sensors in public toilets is an option - but unfortunately our so beloved Indian Population (including me and you people reading this) are more selfish about our own priorities rather than that of the country - and thus we spit on roads, throw waste and what not! We need to change our habits - we're often slaves of our own habit that we're blind towards what HAS to be done and keep thinking about what NEEDS to be done!