In Japanese culture, toilet etiquette isn't something to be trifled with, so KDDI Corporation, the Japanese telecoms provider, is putting cutting edge technology to the task of improving the country's washrooms. The company is embedding IoT sensors in toilet stalls to track when the doors are locked or unlocked, uploading this data to an app to let people know whether there's space in a given washroom.
As a trial run of the project, KDDI Corporation is employing its washroom IoT cloud in office buildings throughout Japan. Should it prove successful, the company expects to expand it to other public venues such as sports stadiums, train stations, shopping malls, and other locations with commonly crowded washrooms.
KDDI also hopes to run a trial that tracks toilets themselves and monitors water usage, automatically flushing with the correct amount of water.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Iot Sensors in Washrooms
- Embedding IoT sensors in toilet stalls to track availability is a disruptive innovation opportunity in improving washroom accessibility.
- Toilet Availability Apps
- Using toilet availability apps to notify people about available washrooms is a disruptive innovation opportunity in enhancing washroom convenience.
- Smart Toilets with Water Monitoring
- Developing smart toilets that monitor water usage and flush automatically is a disruptive innovation opportunity in promoting water conservation.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Telecommunications
- Telecommunications companies have opportunities to provide IoT solutions for tracking washroom availability and improving user experience.
- Facility Management
- Facility management companies can leverage IoT technologies to optimize washroom usage and improve overall hygiene.
- Public Venues
- Public venues such as sports stadiums, train stations, and shopping malls have opportunities to implement washroom IoT solutions for better crowd management.
