Toilet of the future will clean itself

TOKYO - The house of the future will have a toilet that cleans itself, interactive televisions that know when you walk away and washing machines that adjust the water levels by detecting how much sweat is on your clothes.

And that future is not too far away.

Big-name brands say technology-enabled "intelligent" home appliances and electronics could be a reality within five years.

Of course, they will first hit Japan, where the latest and greatest - and in some cases futuristic - gadgets have been revealed this week at the country's biggest consumer electronics exhibition, Ceatec, which ends today.

This year's exhibition had a "green" focus, with brands challenged to reduce carbon emissions with eco-friendly developments as global companies acknowledge - or want to be seen to be acknowledging - that if they don't source products such as precious metals wisely now, their businesses and the environment will suffer in the long term.

The exhibition, in its 10th year, showcased electric cars, water-proof and solar-powered cellphones and table-top touch screens which let you control your living room lighting and music at the tap of your finger.

There was even a display boasting an eco-friendly household that aims for zero carbon dioxide emissions.

The home, the brainchild of Panasonic, uses sensor-based technology that uses power based on actual use. It includes a washing machine that can detect the sweat on your clothes to save water, a television that recognises the user and welcomes them by name with a personalised menu, and a self-cleaning toilet with a "spiral" flushing technique that uses less water.

The bath that can detect when the user steps out so it can stop heating the water. LED lighting throughout the home is said to use 1/8th of the energy of regular lighting.

And a system throughout the entire home knows what room you are in and adjusts the air-conditioning and lighting accordingly. Perhaps the most impressive feature though was the "life wall", an interactive computer screen that takes up the entire wall where you would usually find a television.

The wall can tell who's watching it at the point of finger and has all the features of a computer - and many more. Among its features, the wall serves as a "virtual library" and educational tool.

You can turn the pages of a book, watch a TV screen that moves with the user, or use it as an interactive screen where you can communicate by video-conference with anyone in the world. The life-sized visuals make it appear as if the person is actually there, but software enables people to be "teleported" anywhere in the world.

Using a volunteer, plain office-like surroundings changed in an instant to Mt Fuji, and then suddenly to a wild bear, to the delight of the audience.

The home's novel features are matched with practical ones, including a household log that shows how much energy is being used - or saved - throughout the home so CO2 can be reduced. It is Panasonic's vision that the "eco-ideas house" will be the normal standard of living in the future.

The company says its energy-saving, -creating and -storing technologies are the only way to maintain a sustainable world.

It is targeting the mass market and says it hopes its products will be only about 20 per cent more expensive than regular products.

The company is also hoping to use the same sensor technology to assist in the health industry, with sensors on the human body to pick up body temperature and heart rate to detect when a person becomes ill, and alert doctors, who can provide advice.

Among the products that will be ready within months is a robot that detects and moves around objects. The technology involved, to be in cars this year, will sound an alarm to warn a driver when another vehicle is in its blind spots.

CEATEC
* Japan's biggest consumer electronics expo, the Cutting-Edge IT and Electronics Comprehensive Exhibition.
* Tokyo October 4-11.
* 590 exhibitors, from big-name brands boasting consumer electronics to the companies that make small components for their products.
* 2123 booths.
* Up to 200,000 visitors.

Beck Vass travelled to Japan courtesy of Panasonic NZ