8 ms·

I cannot envision what a traditional, but smart toilet may do. By traditional, not Japanese or anything of the sort. I'm sure it's also not taking medical sam

by b112 14d ago

I cannot envision what a traditional, but smart toilet may do. By traditional, not Japanese or anything of the sort. I'm sure it's also not taking medical samples. So what on earth could it do?! Report the flushes!?! Why? Are you going to magically decide not to crap as much? Just baffling.

mindslight 14d ago
The whole point of the label "smart" is to fill in vague positive thoughts for the customary "..." that comes right before "profit" in the standard /. business plan. And the real problem is that it works.
dpkirchner 14d ago
There are smart toilet devices that have cameras, so, it's about as bad as one could imagine.
- whstl 14d ago
  Probably connected to your wi-fi and with a default password, as is customary for IoT.
bee_rider 14d ago
It is kinda funny that “smart” is the branding we’ve converged on for these devices that have unnecessary computer features. Most engineers would, I guess, call it pretty stupid to add a computer to the BoM of your toilet.
steelframe 14d ago
Gastroenterologists generally categorize feces into ~7 categories. They can be indicators of a variety of dietary deficencies, including dehydration or insufficient fiber intake. Others can be indicators of a variety of medical issues, up to an including colon cancer. Ubiquitous smart toilets scanning and categorizing our feces would move the needle of overall public health and well-being.
- b112 14d ago
  Yes indeed they would, all the issues with sensor longevity aside. But, that's not now. So why the app now?
- buggymcbugfix 13d ago
  And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call enshittification!
goodmythical 14d ago
Auto-flush, seat warmer, scheduled seat warmer, cleaning cycle, scent dispenser, "you haven't been going as often" sensing, auto high/low flush depending on time on toilet... Just off the top of my head, and I'm no toilet engineer. I'm sure there are lots of possibilities with just a sensor or two.
account42 14d ago
I could see someone trying to sell a toilet that reduces the water amount depending on your business as an eco feature. Or one that automatically ads cleaning products and notifies you on your phone when you need to refill them.
GJim 13d ago
> I cannot envision what a traditional, but smart toilet may do "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't flush that".

by b112 14d ago

mindslight 14d ago

The whole point of the label "smart" is to fill in vague positive thoughts for the customary "..." that comes right before "profit" in the standard /. business plan. And the real problem is that it works.

dpkirchner 14d ago

There are smart toilet devices that have cameras, so, it's about as bad as one could imagine.

whstl 14d ago
Probably connected to your wi-fi and with a default password, as is customary for IoT.

bee_rider 14d ago

It is kinda funny that “smart” is the branding we’ve converged on for these devices that have unnecessary computer features. Most engineers would, I guess, call it pretty stupid to add a computer to the BoM of your toilet.

steelframe 14d ago

Gastroenterologists generally categorize feces into ~7 categories. They can be indicators of a variety of dietary deficencies, including dehydration or insufficient fiber intake. Others can be indicators of a variety of medical issues, up to an including colon cancer. Ubiquitous smart toilets scanning and categorizing our feces would move the needle of overall public health and well-being.

b112 14d ago
Yes indeed they would, all the issues with sensor longevity aside. But, that's not now. So why the app now?
buggymcbugfix 13d ago
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call enshittification!

goodmythical 14d ago

Auto-flush, seat warmer, scheduled seat warmer, cleaning cycle, scent dispenser, "you haven't been going as often" sensing, auto high/low flush depending on time on toilet... Just off the top of my head, and I'm no toilet engineer. I'm sure there are lots of possibilities with just a sensor or two.

account42 14d ago

I could see someone trying to sell a toilet that reduces the water amount depending on your business as an eco feature. Or one that automatically ads cleaning products and notifies you on your phone when you need to refill them.

GJim 13d ago

> I cannot envision what a traditional, but smart toilet may do "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't flush that".