All language subtitles for Modern.Marvels.S22E13.BathroomTech.Plus.1080p.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H264-BTN_track3_[eng]

- [Narrator] For many, it's
the most important room

in the house where we spend
over two years of our lives

with 200 million showers
and one billion flushes

across the US every single day.

- [Man] The bathroom is
becoming a place of retreat,

a place to relax and rejuvenate.

- [Narrator] Americans
shell out over

30 billion dollars a year

building the ultimate
throne room,

lavishing it with every
creature comfort imaginable.

- [Man] It's a fully
personalizable

digital delivery system

of water, lights, sound
and audio in the showers.

- [Narrator] You'll
never do your business

the same way again

on Modern Marvels.

- [Man] You haven't
seen anything yet.

(lively music)

(lively music)

- [Narrator] The glitz
and glam of Las Vegas,

where dreams can come true

or more than likely
go down the drain.

Well most of us will
have to settle for

a standard hotel room here,

a few high rollers with
hefty lines of credit

might snag an
invitation to one of

these exclusive Wynn
Resort Fairway Villa suites

with equally exclusive
bathroom facilities.

- We're in one of
the Fairway Villa's

suite bathroom accommodations,

and we've tried to
anticipate every comfort.

- [Narrator] Each one-bedroom
villa suite features

a powder room as well as two
adjoining master bathrooms.

- These are his
and hers bathrooms.

There's one with
considerations for the lady

and one with specific
considerations

for the gentleman.

In the men's room, we have
an enormous steam shower.

The shower is lined in
brown fantasy marble,

which we import from China

and features a rain-down
massage shower head,

full steam capabilities,

and a heated mirror for
shaving that will not fog.

A very large lav with a
counter that is large enough

to handle all of the toiletries

that any gentleman might bring.

Everything in the men's area
also has been raised a bit.

- [Narrator] And of course,
there's a flat screen TV.

The lady's room is just as posh.

- This particular room has
a floor of spider marble,

which we import from Greece.

The countertops are Arco
Iris Onix that I fly to Italy

so that I can
hand-select each slab.

- [Narrator] There's
also an overflow tub

with built-in LEDs to help
wash away those Sin City sins.

And of course, no high-end
bathroom is complete

without a private glass-encased
bidet and toilet area.

But regardless of how glitzy
or plain your toilet is,

we're only indebted
to the common commode.

This modern marvel
changed the world

by effectively and efficiently
eliminating the waste

most people don't
want to think about.

At American Standard,
located in the aptly named

Piscataway, New Jersey,

these potty people have
put a great deal of thought

to making some of the best
toilets on the market.

For those who like one
that's unstoppable,

meet the king of thrones,
the Champion Four toilet.

American Standard makes
the bold claim that

this Titanic of toilets
is virtually uncloggable.

We put it to the test

to see what goes
down with the ship.

- Some of the things
that go into toilets

that really shouldn't,
are toys and cell phones.

Up to seven million
cell phones a year

are dropped in the toilet.

So we do consider those
things when we're designing.

But these are not things
that belong in your toilet.

Another industry test is
called the dye exchange test

for the removal of liquid waste.

- [Narrator] So far
it passes the test.

And then there is
this little experiment

using a stand-in for something

that's no stranger
to being flushed.

- Another industry
test is to take miso,

which is soy paste and put
it in a latex container.

This container holds
50 grams of miso.

Studies show that
humans can eliminate

up to 350 grams of solid waste.

So I have 500 grams
here in my hand,

and we test toilets
like the Champion Four

up to a thousand grams.

So let's put them in
the toilet and flush.

- [Narrator] Why does
the Champion Four prevail

where some other
toilets can fail?

- This is probably the
flush valve in the toilet

that you have now.

It's roughly two
inches in diameter.

A high-performance toilet
may have a flush valve

that's three inches in diameter

and the Champion Four has
this four-inch diameter

accelerator flush valve.

You can see it's very large.

It allows the water to leave
the tank at a very rapid rate.

The other difference
with the Champion Four

is that the trapway is
2.38 inches in diameter,

which is the largest
that you can purchase.

- [Narrator] Most toilets
have just a two-inch trapway.

That extra 0.38 of
an inch can make

all the difference
between a royal flush

and a flushing failure.

When you trip the lever,

1.6 gallons of water exit
through the piston-action

flush valve in under a second.

The rest of the sequence
is generally similar

with all toilets.

Some of the water
travels through

the rim and into the bowl.

The remaining water
goes down a channel

and into the trapway.

A siphon effect
combined with gravity

pulls everything down the drain.

Thanks to a set of
water usage regulations

passed by the Environmental
Protection Agency,

The Champion Four and all other
newly manufactured toilets

have only 1.6 gallons per
flush with which to work.

But enterprising engineers,

including those at
American Standard

thought they could do better.

This FloWise toilet,
known as an HET, does its job

while surpassing
government regulations.

- The flow wise flushes
on 20% less water.

And that's 1.28
gallons per flush.

- It's important because
the toilet is one of

the largest consumers of
water in a person's household.

- [Narrator] The FloWise
owes part of its success

to the unique shape and
height of its tank and bowl,

which allow it to
flush on less water.

The rest is fluid dynamics
and good old gravity.

- You can see on the screen
is the FloWise bowl.

If the shape comes out wrong,
we lose the performance.

It's actually a very
small margin of error.

With a cutaway, we can see
all the components together

that give us
maximum performance.

- [Narrator] American
Standard's engineers aren't

just toiling to improve
the inner workings

of the humble toilet.

The exterior gets
some attention, too.

- While the toilet
looks basically the same

over the last 100 years.

From an ergonomic
standpoint, they have changed

In recent history, the
toilets have gotten taller,

and this is really driven
by aging of boomers.

Boomers do not want to
admit they're getting older

and I'm a boomer myself.

And so by raising up the
height of the toilet,

it's easier to get on and off.

One of the issues with the
developments of toilets

is that we, as a population,
are growing larger.

Weight is an issue
within our population.

So we work to make sure

we engineer our toilets
to take a heavier load.

A number of companies
have developed

physically larger toilets to
deal with larger-sized people.

- [Narrator] Once the
design is approved,

American Standard's version
of the porcelain god

gets a rigorous workout
before going into production.

These toilet seat will be
battered with 200 pounds of

pneumatic force
over 10,000 times.

And these toilets will be
flushed about 10,000 times

per week for 25 weeks.

When it comes to
the modern bathroom,

advances in technology
have given the toilet

some impressive upgrades,

but it's not alone.

After you've flushed the
next stop is the sink.

- The modern sink has
changed civilization

because it allows people to
wash their hands every time,

multiple times during the day,

without having to bother
with disposing the water,

which has inhibited the spread
of germs and sicknesses,

allows people perfect hygiene

by being able to brush
their teeth more often.

It's a very simple thing,

but do without your sink for
a while and see where you are.

- [Narrator] At the Kohler
company in Kohler, Wisconsin,

man-machine join
forces to produce

the simple yet
indispensable sink.

Here your sink starts off
as a pile of manhole covers,

car parts, dumbbells
and other scrap iron.

A powerful magnet carries
the scrap to a furnace

heated to 2,700
degrees Fahrenheit.

Workers slag off the
impurities in preparation

for the big pour.

Meanwhile, the sink
molds made from sand

mixed with water
and chemical binders

wait on the other
side of the factory.

- During the molding process,

you actually have
two halves of a mold.

When we put them together,

there's about a quarter
of an inch in between,

and that's what
seals with the iron.

- [Narrator] The melt is
brought over by forklift

and poured into the molds.

It takes just a minute for
the molten metal to solidify,

and another couple of hours
for the sinks to cool

enough to be sent for
grinding and cleaning.

- We're doing that robotically.

Then it's going and actually

clearing out the drain
hole and the supply hole.

Once that's completed, sets
it back off on the conveyor

over here, where it
comes to the grinder

who will manually remove
the remaining clashing

and any high iron on the piece

prior to getting it
ready for enameling.

- [Narrator] Sprayers
apply a coat of pink slurry

that will act as a
primer to help the enamel

adhere to the iron.

Then it's into the
oven for eight minutes.

- Now the casting
has been reheated

up to approximately
1700 degrees.

You're gonna take it
out of the furnace

and then bring it
over here and place it

in the enameling frame

where they'll apply the
first coat of enamel glass

that's in a powder format.

It's important to get as
much on as quick as you can

when the casting's the hottest.

So they'll complete this
first coat right now.

And then it goes
back into the furnace

where they'll melt that in.

- [Narrator] One more cycle
and this sink is ready to go.

But that's just part
of the equation.

The obligatory faucet begins
life in another foundry,

just down the street.

Only here, they're melting
brass at 1800 degrees.

A forklift carries the molten
metal to the casting area

where it'll start to take
shape inside a metal mold

with a sand core.

- At this point, he is putting
the sand core into the dye.

Now he's getting his liquid
metal and he is gonna pour it.

He steps on the pedal.

The dye rotates, the metal
flows into the dye with gravity.

Right now it is solidifying,

takes about 20
seconds to solidify.

At that point, he takes it out,

puts it in a cart to cool,
and then it'll look like this.

- [Narrator] Then the
faucet is machined,

polished and
prepped for plating.

In the plating area,
this giant dipping rig

filled with various
acids, cleaning agents

and chemical compounds,

ensures your faucet's
metalwork doesn't become

a pile of rust from oxidation

and corrosive hard
water deposits.

The entire plating operation
lending the faucets

their protective layers,
takes about 90 minutes.

Then Kohler has to
make them look nice.

This happens in the PVD room

where metallurgy
meets chemistry.

- In physical vapor deposition

over the top of
the chrome layer,

we put a, usually it's
chromium nitride,

titanium nitride
coating over the top

to give us the different
colors that Kohler sells.

- [Narrator] The
pieces are preheated

and then placed inside this
vacuum chamber for 90 minutes

where they'll be bombarded
with metallic ions

with the help of
turbo-molecular pumps.

This electronic coating
process will determine

the faucet's finish.

Everything from vibrant brush
bronze, to polished chrome,

to brushed nickel.

Then the faucets
are off to this area

where spouts and handles
of all imaginable designs

are assembled,
tested, and packaged.

- In today's marketplace,

there's lots of different
types of faucets.

For the bathroom, you have
a separate hot and cold,

and you can control
both on individually.

You also have the
single-lever faucet,

which is easy to use, great
for children and people

that have arthritis.

Going back to the old days
are the bridge faucets.

And what that means is
that there's one portion

of the faucet that
goes in between

that connects the hot and
cold above the counter

as opposed to below.

- [Narrator] Aesthetic aside,
the technology of sink faucets

is still predominantly
based on simple mechanics.

These days, shopping
for a new shower

can be a little like
shopping for a car.

This model developed
by the Kohler Company

comes fully loaded.

- It's a fully personalizable
digital delivery system

of water, lights, sound
and audio in the shower.

It also incorporates water
delivery with a digital valve.

- [Narrator] In conjunction
with a user interface,

the digital valve
assembly precisely

controls and maintains
water temperature.

No more waiting for
your shower to heat up

and then having it go cold.

The valve also regulates
water delivery and massage.

There's also a steam function.

- Steam showers originally
were used as a therapy.

Today, there are
luxury that are used

in some of the finer homes.

They're electric.

Water falls down on a hot
coil or stainless steel plate

the steam is created.

- [Narrator] The shower
also has a little something

for the other senses.

- What you see behind me
is the ambient rain panel,

which is a 21-inch
LED-lit panel,

and also incorporates audio

through our
waterproof speakers.

- [Narrator] It's like having
a private disco in your shower

and there's more.

- Or maybe the coolest
feature is a different effects

that we have.

Let's say, you've always wanted
a skylight in your bathroom.

you can pick our
sunny clouds feature

and actually have moving
clouds in your ceiling.

- [Narrator] Mix and
match the options

to reflect or enhance your mood.

The shower's entire symphony
of functions is conducted

by the remote user interface

that can save and instantly
recall personal settings.

The whole shebang,
hydrotherapy, promo therapy,

and the rest will
probably run you somewhere

in the area of $10,000.

But it still might be cheaper

than a future of actual therapy.

- I think the future that
home shower is basically

personalizing your shower.

What you see here is
personalization

on a pretty big level.

- [Narrator] Of course to know
where the shower is going,

it helps to know
where it's been.

- It's documented
in vases and murals,

places that we see drawings of
ancient Greeks that showered.

They showered not for hygiene.

They believe it energized
them and gave them power.

- [Narrator] Cold water
flowed via terracotta pipes,

and over the bathers
through shower ends

shaped like animal faces.

The ancient Romans and
many generations thereafter

preferred their
baths to showering.

Rudimentary shower
contraptions began to resurface

in the early 1800s,

like this one called the
American Virginia stool shower.

The bather placed the wood
machine inside a bathtub

and operated a hand pump
to bring water up a hose

and out over his head.

A foot pedal maneuvered and
attached scrub brush up and down

as needed.

For decades the shower
remained a novelty.

Only when indoor plumbing
became more commonplace

in the mid-to-late 19th century,

could showers become practical.

Still well into the 20th
century, most Americans bathed

in tubs, but only
about once a week.

During the post-World War
II track housing boom,

builders incorporated
showers into most bathrooms,

making it easier for people
to begin a transition

to a more frequent
washing routine.

- The major shift between
the bathtub and the shower

came in the 1970s.

It came about because people
were in a larger hurry,

wanted to get ready quicker
and were more interested

in cleanliness.

- [Narrator] To accommodate
new larger conveniences

like standalone showers,

today's average master bathroom
has roughly doubled in size

since the 1950s.

Let's make the price tag aside,

a luxury shower can
carry another cost

if you're not careful.

- Large rain-head or multiple
side sprays can use on average

between 10 and 20 gallons
of water for a minute.

- [Narrator] Most of us
still have one of these,

a standard shower head.

Shower heads produced prior
to the EPA Act of 1992

delivered about five
gallons of water per minute.

Today the standard shower
head delivers half of that

at 2.5 gallons per minute.

But which uses more
water, bathing in a tub

or showering with a
standard shower head?

- A shower head that uses two
and a half gallons of minute

will use 25 gallons
over a 10-minute period

where the average tub holds
about 50 gallons of water.

So a 10-minute shower would
use roughly half as much water

as a bathing in the tub.

- [Narrator] American
Standard has put a new spin

on low flow, with a FloWise
version of the shower head.

The flow wise uses just one
and a half gallons per minute,

but the bather is none the
wiser and none the dirtier.

A conventional
2.5-gallons-per-minute

shower head does little

more than
deliver a metered amount

of pressurized water
through small holes.

The FloWise shower head
incorporates a small turbine

located in the center.

The pressurized
water makes its spin.

The turbine breaks
up the droplets

while infusing them with
air as they're pushed out.

The air makes less water
seem like the same amount.

- So that a gallon
a half a minute,

you get a nice forceful shower.

- [Narrator] As a
compromise, American Standard

is also incorporated an
element of personal choice.

- If you're taking a shower
and you're all soaped up,

have shampoo in your hair
and you want to rinse,

you just convert the
shower to a maximum of

two gallons a minute.

It's a combination
of the turbine

and an outer spray pattern.

And this way you get a
good satisfying rinse.

The great thing about FloWise
is when you turn it off,

it automatically resets
itself to a gallon and a half.

This way you're always
conserving water,

and you have to
choose to use more.

- [Narrator] Before
the FloWise

and their other products

reach your bathroom, American
Standards design team

puts them through
demanding lifecycle tests.

- This is our
FloWise shower head.

And what we're doing right now

on this reliability test here

is making sure that the
two different settings

work properly over time.

This reliability test rig
runs 24 hours a day,

seven days a week.

- We start the cycle going
and computers run all of this.

And at the end of the
day, and over the weekend,

we turn off the
lights and go home.

But the test continues so that
we can get the maximum length

of test in the shortest
amount of time.

- [Narrator] We know
what you're thinking

and know they're not
being hypocrites.

- The water that it uses
goes through the fitting

goes into our collection pipes,

goes through these pipes
back into our treatment area

where it's reprocessed,
re-chilled and re-pressurized

so that we can use it again.

In this way, our impact,
as far as water usages,

is relatively little.

You're wet, but what's going
to get all that dirt off?

Let's ask her.

She looks pretty clean.

Meet Keridwyn Hershberger, a
fourth generation soap maker,

catering to those who
appreciate craft and tradition.

- Soap is a basic
cleansing agent

that can act as a bridge
between oil and dirt and water.

- [Narrator] Soap essentially
acts as an emulsifier

or something that facilitates
the blending of substances

that don't normally mix.

Oil and dirt on the skin
won't combine with water.

The emulsifying soap helps
disperse water into the oil

while detaching it
from the surface.

The oil and dirt are
suspended and diluted

so they can be washed away.

Keridwyn makes soap
the old fashioned way

like they did from the
14th to mid-19th century

by hand in a cauldron.

- The most basic components
of soap making are

some form of grease
or fat and lye.

Lye can now be
synthetically produced,

or it can be dripped from
various types of wood ashes

or seaweed ashes.

- [Narrator] Some
experts attribute

a great historical significance
to the humble soap recipe.

- When soap making became
more popular in the 1300s,

midwives began
washing their hands.

And with midwives
washing their hands,

it led to a decrease in
infant mortality rate.

So there's certain
schools of thought

amongst anthropologists that

actually soap making helped
bring about the renaissance

by increasing the middle class.

- [Narrator] Keridwyn kicks
off the soap making process

by chopping and
melting the rich fat

taken from the kidney
region of a steer.

- I am rendering
down the beef tallow.

So I'll have a pure
fat as opposed to

a fat with a lot of connective
tissue, meat, blood,

things like that.

- [Narrator] In the cauldron,
she combines the tallow

with pork lard.

Once the fat is melted,

she adds in the other
active ingredient,

alkaline.

- I have a 50% sodium hydroxide
or lye water solution,

and I'll be adding the
lye water to the fats.

The fats are at this point
at about 100 degrees.

- [Narrator] Too much
lye can be a bad thing.

- Alkaline is caustic

that can cause minor
burns to the skin,

nothing spectacular like
we saw in fight club,

but it will cause a minor burn.

- [Narrator] And then
she stirs and stirs.

- This is actually activating
this saponification

during which the fatty
acids and the oils

and the caustic begin
to transform into soap.

It'll actually start
to take on the look of

a thick cream gravy or
a hot cooked pudding.

- [Narrator] To
test the lye level

in a batch of soap brew,

Keridwyn employs a most
sophisticated method.

- One of the most traditional
methods is to taste it.

I'm really not kidding.

I get a little bit on my finger.

And that is almost ready.

- [Narrator] When the
batch is fully cooked,

she scoops the batter
into a shallow mold

where it'll cool and
harden into an alternative

to mass-produced soaps.

- A lot of what sets my soaps
apart is what I don't use.

I don't use a lot of the more
modern synthetic ingredients

because I simply don't
feel like they're necessary

to make a good soap.

And I really don't feel
like they're necessary

to put on one's skin.

- [Narrator] Mass
produced or handmade,

soap is just the
first line of defense

against smelling offensive.

But for some, BO is
a formidable foe.

Body odor is primarily
generated in the armpits

by a concentration
of sweat glands.

Moisture secreted by these
glands is initially odorless,

but the natural lipids
or fats it contains

provide a growth
medium for bacteria.

These bacteria interact
with the lipids,

converting them into
compounds like isovaleric acid

that give sweat that
characteristic smell.

- For centuries,
people wanted some way

to control body odor.

They used different types
of perfumes, colognes

before the bath
became commonplace.

But around 1888, the first
trademark deodorant came out.

- [Narrator] Some of the early
products masked bad smells,

but caused irritation.

Fortunately for modern noses,
these products have evolved.

So even those with the
most sensitive skin

can protect themselves.

But which to choose,
deodorant or antiperspirant?

- Deodorants mask odor
and kill bacteria,

but do not reduce wetness.

Antiperspirants reduce wetness

through inhibiting the
production of sweat.

- [Narrator] The technology
controls odor three ways.

- One, the active
ingredient eliminates

odor-causing bacteria.

Two, the fragrance
masks the odor.

Three, the reduction
in moisture reduces

the amount of bacteria
that's able to grow.

- [Narrator] Once
antiperspirant is applied,

the active ingredient, an
aluminum compound reacts with

moisture on the skin
and becomes gelatinous.

The solution plugs the pores,
inhibiting sweat secretion.

Regardless of which
type of product

you use to keep you inoffensive,

there's a good chance
it came from Unilever

in Raeford, North Carolina,

makers of Degree and other
personal care products.

- This is where our liquid
unloading takes place

at the Raeford factory, for
the antiperspirant production.

We unload our emollients
in liquid form

from bulk tank trucks
into these bulk tanks.

They're about
100,000-pound tanks,

and it can be pumped
at two tons per minute

directly into our
compounding department.

- [Narrator] State-of-the-art
mixing equipment

combines prescribed amounts
of liquid ingredients,

fragrance and
aluminum compounds,

heated to 158
degrees Fahrenheit.

Conveyors carry empty canisters
ready to be filled with

a hot antiperspirant product.

- We actually have to turn
this canister upside down.

The way you buy it,
it'll be like this.

The way we fill it,
it's actually like this.

Now, when you look
inside the container,

you see there's a seal that
not only preserves the product,

it gives us the ability
to fill from the bottom

of the container that gives
us that nice dome shape on it.

So it's very comfortable when
you apply it to your armpit.

We then use a piston
displacement filler

and push the product
into the canister.

It leaves this filler and
heads to a chilling tunnel.

We cool to about
25 degrees Celsius.

That's actually to
stabilize the product.

So it doesn't separate and
all the ingredients stay

very homogeneous throughout.

So the canister is plugged
with the coated plug

and then it enters the labeler.

We label first the
back of the canister

and then rotate it 180
degrees and label the front.

The canister's inspected on
both sides by a camera system

to make sure the label's
in the proper position

if it's not , we reject
it on the far side.

- [Narrator] Then the
quick stop at the lab

for quality assurance.

- This is where all the
finished products come in

and get tested before they're
released to the Walmarts,

to the Targets of the world.

We measure the active ingredient
concentration in here.

We also check for the fragrance,

make sure it smells
as it's supposed to.

- [Narrator] The stuff
that makes the grade

is then packaged, palletized,
wrapped and shipped.

Now you're squeaky clean
enough to rule the world.

But if you forgot to go
before you left the castle,

we've got the answer.

Coming up, you don't
have to ru
Each year, almost nine
million residents,

66 million tourists
and countless commuters

ram into New York City.

The area boasts more
than 25,000 eateries,

numerous hotels,
theaters and museums.

Yet this metropolis
has somehow managed

to get the notorious reputation
is having nowhere to go.

- Public toilets have a
great need in New York City

because of the tremendous
amount of people and pedestrians

that use the city at all times.

It's almost sometimes impossible
to find a restaurant or

other facility to use during
the course of your day.

- [Narrator] New York
city has only about

1200 public rest rooms.

That's nothing compared
to some other major cities

like Singapore, which has
less than half the population,

but nearly 30,000
public rest rooms.

How are officials finally
addressing the eternal challenge

of going on the go?

One solution the City
of New York has tried

is the APT, for
Automatic Pay Toilet.

This six-by-11 foot pay potty
pod sits inconspicuously

in Madison Square Park.

For the low, low
price of 25 cents,

the user gets a
generous 15 minutes

inside the tempered glass
and stainless steel unit.

- Depositing a quarter
in the APT

activates an electrical
signal to the door,

which is opened by reserve
of air compression.

There's a tank inside the
unit that has compressed air

and that activates a pneumatic
system that opens the door.

- [Narrator] Once you're
in, you'll see the usual

bathroom accoutrements
plus some extras.

- The features of the APT
are the obvious features,

including the
commode, toilet paper,

the basin, the
various, the soap

and rinse water
dispensers, a hand dryer,

but there's also comfort
features like nonslip flooring,

a skylight, halogen lighting,

as well as heating
and air conditioning

for the winters and
the summers as well.

- [Narrator] Since
it's unattended,

the chamber incorporates some
innovative safety features.

- There's battery backup system.

Should there be a power failure,

the door will
automatically open.

The emergency buttons
in the APT are connected

to a sophisticated
communication system.

And these buttons
actually, when pressed,

send a text message
to two or more people,

and also it activates a
two-way communication system.

- [Staff] Good afternoon,
can I help you?

- Should this person
fall on the floor,

they're located where
they best can reach them.

- [Narrator] Weight load
sensors located under the floor

serve a dual purpose.

- This to detect an occupant,

but also to make sure
that occupant falls

within certain
weight thresholds,

above 88 pounds and
below 551 pounds.

The lower threshold is
intended to protect children

to make sure
they're accompanied,

while the upper limit
is to make sure that

a handicap person and their
assistant can enter the unit,

but not excessive numbers
of people at the same time.

- [Narrator] Unfortunately
for you slow movers,

there's the dreaded time limit.

A warning alarm signals
when three minutes remain

and when time's up ready or not,

the door slides open.

Between users, the
APT jumps into action

with an automated 90-second
self-cleaning process

that happens behind
closed doors.

The automatic pay
toilet finds its roots

with the ancient
Roman public latrines,

a trench with running water
below the stone benches

carried away waste.

And the enterprising
Roman Emperor Vespasian

who charged a fee
for these latrines,

carried away lots of cash.

After the fall of the
empire and its comforts,

relieving oneself happened

whenever, wherever
nature called.

In 17th-century France,

the nobility at the
palace of Versailles,

which was built
without bathrooms,

did their business on the lawn,

and perhaps even
in the stairwells.

Sanitation and decency
were of little concern.

The Sun King himself
was known to go

while riding in his coach with
female passengers present.

Today when going on the
go, the greatest concern

is picking up germs
in what is potentially

one of the least
sanitary environments.

- Hygiene is important and
especially in today's world

where people are exposed to
so many other human beings

all the time.

- Imagine walking
into a public restroom

and not actually having
to touch anything.

Perfecting touch-free
public bathroom technology

is big business.

Companies like Sloan and
Kimberly Clark manufacture

motion-sensor-activated
dispensers of

bathroom necessities,
such as soap and paper towels.

Sensors on toilets and faucets
detect a user's presence

or absence and
operate accordingly.

But in most bathrooms,

there's still the matter of
having to touch paper towels

or the traditional
hot air dryer.

The Dyson Airblade, a
touch-free hand dryer claims

to reduce bacteria
and use less energy,

drying in 10-12 seconds as
opposed to the 22-40 seconds

in most other dryers.

It employs the Dyson digital
motor that spins faster

than a Formula One
race car engine

and produces enough air
pressure to dry hands

without the need for heat.

An infrared sensor
activates the dryer

only when the
hands are inserted.

So there's no wasted
energy after you walk away.

In the bathroom of the future,

human necessity meets
science fiction.

Japanese bathroom
manufacturer Toto

has become the undisputed
leader in high-tech toilets

by combining form and function

while taking personal
hygiene to a whole new level.

Unlike common toilets,
Toto's futuristic looking

Neorest model is
tankless, rimless,

fully automated and
environmentally sound,

And it offers a less
hands-on approach.

- [Narrator] The semi-gloss
finish on Toto's toilets

and sinks is super
smooth at the nano level,

illuminating crevices where
bacteria can accumulate.

- [Narrator] Toto's other
uber-modern products

include digitally
controlled air jet bathtub

that fills itself to
your preset temperature

and depth setting.

And if you're lonely,
it'll even talk to you.

- [Bathtub] Hello,
showing the bath.

- [Narrator] How about
some running water sounds

or music to mask
embarrassing noises

emanating from the bathroom?

No need to waste water on
the sound of courtesy flush.

In fact, bathroom manufacturers
and scientists believe that

toilets could actually help
with medical diagnosis.

Here's how they might work.

A wand with a small cup attached

extends from the toilet's rim

to collect a sample of urine.

The sample travels to
a sensor for analysis.

The test results are transmitted

via the home's wireless
network to the user's computer.

- [Narrator] What other
tech might we find

in the bathroom of tomorrow?

Jacuzzi manufactures a
towel warming cabinet

that heats up to 120 degrees.

For those who need to
check their messages,

the news or weather
while primping,

there is a mirror from Samsung
that doubles as a TV monitor.

The gadgets aside, the
current bathroom trends

lean toward indulgence
and awareness.

- Some of the challenges the
designers are facing today

when they are designing
these products

is to constantly come up
with cutting-edge new designs

that work and deliver
tremendous relaxation

as people expect,

and still be
environmentally responsible.

It's important that
in all the things

that are designed
for the bathrooms now

that we watch how
much water we use,

and people are consciously
aware of it and care about that.

- The bathroom is becoming
a place of retreat,

place to relax and rejuvenate.

And there's really two
trends that are causing that.

One is nesting.

That's where more and more
people are staying home,

spending their, you know,

time and energy and
resources on those spaces

and the products that
go into those spaces.

And the number of spa visits
are growing every year.

And people want to create that,

that spa-like atmosphere
and get those products

into their home.

- [Narrator] And these
tricked out bathrooms

might just be scratching the
bacteria-repelling surface.

- Coming back from the
kitchen and bath show,

seeing all the products
that are available,

we probably haven't
seen anything yet.

- [Narrator] Whether you
prefer high-tech, low-flow,

or the lap of luxury,

scientists, designers and
engineers will keep finding

new ways to keep you
comfortable and happy.

And it just may change the way
you answer, when nature calls.

- [Bathtub] Goodbye.