Toilets Measuring Stool’s Color, Hardness, Amount to Sell for ¥493,900, Targeting Health-Conscious Customers

The Yomiuri Shimbun
A person holds a model stool in a new toilet from TOTO Ltd. that has a sensor to measure falling stool, in Fukuoka City on Wednesday.

Toilet maker TOTO Ltd. will begin selling on Aug. 1 a toilet equipped with a sensor that measures the color, hardness and amount of stool.

The company says this is the first such product in Japan for general residential use.

Two models of TOTO’s high-end “Neorest” series toilets will be equipped with the function. The suggested retail price, including tax, starts at ¥493,900. The company aims to sell 7,300 units per year in the third year of the launch.

A light-emitting diode (LED) built into the models sheds light on falling stool, and the sensor receives the reflected light to measure the length, contour and surface shape. The color is recorded in three levels (ochre, brown and dark brown), the hardness in seven levels (including liquid and semi-solid) and the volume in three levels.

Up to six users can check the data on their smartphones.