This see-through toilet with smart glass technology automatically changes to a locked opaque. Several of these toilet units have been operated in a park in the Shibuya area, Tokyo.
When the toilet is empty, the appearance of the smart toilet looks transparent from the outside. But when the toilet was locked, it suddenly became dark and blurry from the outside.
When empty, the toilet is see-through.
When the toilet is locked, it becomes blurry.
This toilet uses smart glass technology. The liquid crystal molecules in the glass panes are arranged randomly when no electric current is flowing, creating a dark atmosphere. When the glass is energized by an electric current, the liquid crystal molecules are arranged neatly and allow light to pass through. That's when the glass panels become transparent or see-through.
The see-through smart toilet in Shibuya, Japan
This is not the first time Japan has introduced a transparent toilet that can turn opaque when used. In 2014, the city of Oita introduced transparent toilets that turn opaque when sensors detect motion. However, some users report that sometimes the sensor cannot detect movement so the toilet is still see-through while the user is still inside.
