Only the US Government is wasteful enough to pay $6,400 for a toilet, right?

[Scuba]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/technology/personaltech/kohlers-numi-is-everything-one-wants-in-a-toilet-and-more.html?_r=1



..snip..


Earlier this year, the latest salvo was fired by the venerable bath fixtures manufacturer Kohler. It produced a new toilet, the Numi. The Numi features a touch-screen remote control. The Numi washes and dries its user. The Numi costs $6,400 or 81 times the price of the basic throne at Home Depot.

The most striking feature of the Numi is what you don’t get: any visible levers or buttons. All the Numi controls are handled through a touch screen remote control that is somewhat larger than an iPod Touch. That remote controls flushing, cleaning, drying, music, heating and other settings and preferences; combinations of preferences can be stored in user profiles for different family members. When not in use, the remote docks in a magnetic charging cradle that can be mounted on the wall. There are backup buttons at the rear of the toilet just in case the remote is not working.

Then there’s the Numi’s design. The toilet, when closed, is a large white rhombus that sits in your bathroom. It does not so much say “toilet” as much as “giant building block from Lego: the Marcel Breuer Collection.” The rear panels are translucent, and LED lights gently illuminate the toilet when the Numi’s sensor determines that the room has gone dark. Another LED is mounted in the bowl itself for additional nighttime guidance; both lights’ intensity can be adjusted with the remote control.

Walk up to the Numi, and location sensors will detect your presence and cause the toilet’s lid to rise, revealing the rectangular-on-the-outside, round-where-it-counts seat. If you are a man standing in front of the toilet, you will notice a blue beam of light projected on the right-side floor, adjacent to the toilet. Place your foot in the path of that beam and the toilet seat will rise; break the beam again and the toilet will flush and the seat will lower itself.

..end..



Meanwhile, there's a family of three living in a Buick down the block.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

1. The US government doesn't actually buy toilets that are that expensive.

They just do it on paper and use the difference to fund their black shadow government.
:rofl:
Duckie

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. I passed on buying that one for the model that states it can flush an entire bucket of golf balls.

Much cheaper and still does the job.

[DJ13]

3. Im usually full at half a bucket

[MadHound]

4. My bet is that this is mostly for the Japanese market,

They are absolutely nuts about having toilets that do everything except cook dinner.

[Initech]

5. $4600 or $160 toilet, it doesn't change the device's primary function!

[TroglodyteScholar]

6. WOW does that thing look uncomfortable....

...is this some kind of joke?

[benld74]

7. Imagine stumbling into the bathroom, midleof the night, half asleep,,,

trying to figure out how to use the damn thing! Worse yet, flying into the driveway, running into the house, your back teeth floating, and then WAITING for thedamn lid to open? Hell, if it was me, I KNOW I'd wind up going in either the shower or the sink!