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  • Toilet Innovation - Can the toilets be better?

    Kaustubh Katdare

    Kaustubh Katdare

    @thebigk
    Updated: Oct 4, 2013
    Views: 9.0K
    Not much has changed with the toilets in the past several years. But there's a global organization that's focusing on better toilets - and it's the famous Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Recently the Indian Ministry Of Science & Technology along with the Gates Foundation announced that they'll invest $2 million ~ 10-12 crore Indian rupees in the development of 'Next Generation Toilets'. Apart from cleaner toilets, I was wondering if the there can be innovation in the design of toilets, their construction or the overall toilet system.

    I was wondering if our CEans have any ideas on making the toilets better? Can someone be innovative and think about producing electricity from public run toilets?

    PS: If you have innovative toilet designs, feel free to post sketches, CAD models et al.
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  • Ramani Aswath

    Member • Oct 4, 2013

    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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  • Anoop Kumar

    Member • Oct 4, 2013

    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.
    [​IMG]
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  • Ankita Katdare

    Administrator • Oct 4, 2013

    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.
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  • Kaustubh Katdare

    Administrator • Oct 4, 2013

    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?
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  • Jibak Baksi

    Member • Oct 6, 2013

    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... 😛
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  • Sarathkumar Chandrasekaran

    Member • Oct 6, 2013

    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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  • Ramani Aswath

    Member • Oct 6, 2013

    #-Link-Snipped-#

    Last date: 12th November 2013
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  • narayana murthy

    Member • Oct 8, 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
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  • Sarathkumar Chandrasekaran

    Member • Oct 17, 2013

    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?
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  • Anoop Mathew

    Member • Oct 19, 2013

    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!
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