The new Terminal 2 at London's Heathrow Airport has been fitted with 'smart loos', high-tech toilets that are part of a sensor-packed system -- developed by Intel -- that aims to keep bathrooms cleaner and improve work flow for maintenance workers and custodians.
The bathroom entrance is fitted with a discreet sensor that keeps track of how many people enter and exit the toilet. This data is then fed into an Intel gateway before being redirected to a cloud. Bathroom maintenance workers then receive a text approximately every 200 customers. This system ensures that bathrooms are cleaned based on the volume of use rather than on an arbitrary cleaning schedule.
Interestingly, the smart loos were borne out of an idea proposed by an end consumer.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Connected Toilets
- Improving bathroom maintenance and customer experience through sensors and cloud technology.
- Smart Facilities Management
- Optimizing cleaning and maintenance schedules through real-time usage data.
- Consumer-driven Innovation
- Soliciting end-user feedback and ideas to drive innovative solutions.
Sectors Adopting This
- Facilities Management
- Opportunities for integrating smart technologies for improved cleaning, maintenance and workflow management.
- Technology
- Developing new sensor and cloud technologies to optimize maintenance workflows and enhance customer satisfaction.
- Design/architecture
- Incorporating smart sensor technologies into building design to improve the experience and efficiency of facilities such as bathrooms.
