Interactive urinal
Encyclopedia
An interactive urinal is a device that allow users to play video games or control interactive displays using a stream of urine. Several designs have been produced to date, usually comprising a urinal fitted with a pressure sensor to measure the strength and position of the urine flow and an LCD
screen mounted above the urinal to provide animated graphics.
In 2006 the design magazine Yanko Design presented a concept for a urinal containing a pressure-sensitive display screen that is triggered when it is urinated on, producing images and sound. According to the designer, Marcel Neundorfer, it transforms urination into "more than just a necessary nuisance. By projecting the game experience into the public space, viewers are treated to a new way of visualizing the abstract, and the entertainment value is boosted."
An interactive urinal named PlaceToPee, formerly named PleeStation (plee means toilet in Dutch), was devised in Belgium by software engineer Werner Dupont and electrical engineer Bar Geraets. The pair came up with the idea during a drinking session in a bar and attracted the interest of sanitary equipment company Guedens Sanitair Verhuur, which provided financial support to develop a single PlaceToPee unit. The PlaceToPee was installed in the 2007 GamePower Expo in Ghent
with a racing game that allowed visitors to steer on-screen cars with their urine. The system gave warnings to players about drunk driving if their urine was off-target. It was shut down after the Belgian police deemed it to be indecent. The following year the makers displayed the PlaceToPee at the "Arendonk
Zingt & Swingt" festival. It allowed users to answer on-screen questions by urinating in a particular direction. The creators publicly expressed confidence in their product and suggested that it could be used as a sophisticated means of counting votes for the Miss Belgium
contest. Women are catered for by providing them with a cardboard cone to direct their urine.
The most advanced interactive urinal system to date is the Toylet, a video game system produced by the Japan
ese company Sega
. A choice of four mini-games can be selected:
The Toylet records players' scores and allows them to be saved onto a USB memory stick
. Advertisements are shown between games. The system has been installed in the men's toilets in four stations of the Tokyo Metro
, including Akihabara
, Soga
and Ikebukuro
. It is being trialed until the end of January 2011.
In 2009, artist Ricardo Carvalho and programmer Alias Cummings created an interactive urinal entitled Global Warming in which the trail of urine hits on a grid of ultra sensitive piezos
housed within the urinal. The strength and direction of the urine is calculated and used to control the navigation of a 3D Earth globe, leaving a trail of thousands of Google Earth place markers on its surface. The spectator's action is reminiscent of spraying, the animal behaviour of identifying and marking territory. Global Warming, besides its obvious environmental connotation, is an ironic take on how primitive territorial instincts, such as the visceral act of spraying ,can be exercised through supposedly intelligent and networked devices and at the same time disguised by them.
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....
screen mounted above the urinal to provide animated graphics.
In 2006 the design magazine Yanko Design presented a concept for a urinal containing a pressure-sensitive display screen that is triggered when it is urinated on, producing images and sound. According to the designer, Marcel Neundorfer, it transforms urination into "more than just a necessary nuisance. By projecting the game experience into the public space, viewers are treated to a new way of visualizing the abstract, and the entertainment value is boosted."
An interactive urinal named PlaceToPee, formerly named PleeStation (plee means toilet in Dutch), was devised in Belgium by software engineer Werner Dupont and electrical engineer Bar Geraets. The pair came up with the idea during a drinking session in a bar and attracted the interest of sanitary equipment company Guedens Sanitair Verhuur, which provided financial support to develop a single PlaceToPee unit. The PlaceToPee was installed in the 2007 GamePower Expo in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
with a racing game that allowed visitors to steer on-screen cars with their urine. The system gave warnings to players about drunk driving if their urine was off-target. It was shut down after the Belgian police deemed it to be indecent. The following year the makers displayed the PlaceToPee at the "Arendonk
Arendonk
Arendonk is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the town of Arendonk proper. On January 1, 2006 Arendonk had a total population of 12,215. The total area is 55.38 km² which gives a population density of 221 inhabitants per...
Zingt & Swingt" festival. It allowed users to answer on-screen questions by urinating in a particular direction. The creators publicly expressed confidence in their product and suggested that it could be used as a sophisticated means of counting votes for the Miss Belgium
Miss Belgium
Miss Belgium is the largest national beauty pageant in Belgium, responsible for selecting the country's representatives to Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International pageants.-Winners since 1969:-2008 controversy:...
contest. Women are catered for by providing them with a cardboard cone to direct their urine.
The most advanced interactive urinal system to date is the Toylet, a video game system produced by the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese company Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
. A choice of four mini-games can be selected:
- Mannekin Pis, named after the eponymous statue of a urinating boy in BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, awards the player a score based on how hard and how much he can urinate. - Graffiti Eraser requires the player to spray urine around to clean graffiti off a virtual wall.
- The Northern Wind, The Sun and Me puts the player in the role of the wind trying to lift a girl's skirt by blowing air at her – the strength of the wind depends on the force of the flow of urine.
- Battle! Milk From Nose allows the player to compete against the person who last used the urinal by comparing the strength of their urine streams. The streams are represented on-screen as jets of milk squirting out of the noses of two characters standing in a sumo ringDohyothumb|A dohyōThe dohyō is the ring in which sumo wrestling bouts are held. A modern dohyo is a circle of rice-straw bales 4.55 meters in diameter, mounted on a square platform of clay 6.7m on a side, and 34 to 60 cm high. The surface is covered by sand.A new dohyō is built prior to each...
. If the player's urine stream is stronger, his opponent is blasted out of the ring.
The Toylet records players' scores and allows them to be saved onto a USB memory stick
Memory Stick
Memory Stick is a removable flash memory card format, launched by Sony in October 1998, and is also used in general to describe the whole family of Memory Sticks...
. Advertisements are shown between games. The system has been installed in the men's toilets in four stations of the Tokyo Metro
Tokyo Metro
is one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Toei. It is the most used subway system in the world in terms of annual passenger rides.-Organization:...
, including Akihabara
Akihabara Station
is a railway station locatedin Tokyo's Chiyoda ward. It is at the center of the famous Akihabara shopping district specializing in electronic goods.-Lines:JR East:* Keihin-Tōhoku Line* Yamanote Line* Chūō-Sōbu LineTokyo Metro:...
, Soga
Soga Station
is a train station located in Chūō-ku, Chiba and operated by the East Japan Railway Company and the Keiyō Rinkai Railway Company. It is the northern terminal station for the Uchibō Line and is 3.8 kilometers from the northern terminus of the Sotobō Line at Chiba Station...
and Ikebukuro
Ikebukuro Station
is a railway station located in the Ikebukuro district of Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. With 2.71 million passengers on an average daily in 2007, it is the second-busiest train station in the world , and the busiest station in the Tobu, Seibu and Tokyo Metro networks. It primarily serves commuters from...
. It is being trialed until the end of January 2011.
In 2009, artist Ricardo Carvalho and programmer Alias Cummings created an interactive urinal entitled Global Warming in which the trail of urine hits on a grid of ultra sensitive piezos
Piezoelectric sensor
A piezoelectric sensor is a device that uses the piezoelectric effect to measure pressure, acceleration, strain or force by converting them to an electrical charge.-Applications:...
housed within the urinal. The strength and direction of the urine is calculated and used to control the navigation of a 3D Earth globe, leaving a trail of thousands of Google Earth place markers on its surface. The spectator's action is reminiscent of spraying, the animal behaviour of identifying and marking territory. Global Warming, besides its obvious environmental connotation, is an ironic take on how primitive territorial instincts, such as the visceral act of spraying ,can be exercised through supposedly intelligent and networked devices and at the same time disguised by them.
External links
- Global Warming. Photographs and video of Global Warming at the Kinetica Art Fair 2010.
- PlaceToPee official website. (In Dutch)
- Official Toylet website. (In Japanese)
- New Sega Gaming Console: Japanese Innovation At its Finest. Photographs and screenshots of the Toylet from Akihabara News.