Toto's hydroelectric toilet

Leading technoloo manufacturer Toto has added a new only-in-Japan modification to its latest model: it's a toilet that uses hydroelectric power to charge its battery as it flushes. A lot of toilets in this hygiene-obsessive country use an infrared sensor instead of a handle to trigger the flush, but that of course requires either a battery that needs replacing or a hookup to mains electricity, involving the hassle of wiring and so forth. The little hydroelectric generator in the latest version means that the battery lasts about ten years. If you forget to flush, or haven't done so ten seconds after getting up, it'll also take a guess at what variety of waste you've just put into it and flush the appropriate amount of water in response.

[Via Nikkei BP (Japanese)]