Anti-sex toilets to spray users with water jets

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sex-toilets-spray-water-alarm-cottaging-illegal-wales-porthcawl-a9063386.html

by neverminder • 7 years ago

29 54 7 years ago

independent.co.uk

jgtrosh• 7 years ago

This is tricky. There is IMO no good technical way to implement the requested features without breaking core human respect of the users.

What would be a better approach to the problem? What about an approach like the one regarding smoking in hotels: make it forbidden, but accommodate it so that it wouldn't be as much of a bother?

For hotels it means providing an ashtray. For toilet sex it could be an interesting experiment!

leetbulb• 7 years ago

Provide a condom dispenser and a black leather sofa?

ehnto• 7 years ago

For a city where violence against sex workers was an issue, they implemented designated, lit but private parking bays where sex work is legal. They also had non-vehicle booths for the same thing. I don't know how well it went, but it is certainly in line with what you were thinking.

microtherion2• 7 years ago

Known in German speaking countries under the rather unappealing name of "Verrichtungsbox": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verrichtungsbox

rjsw• 7 years ago

The hotels that I use deal with smoking by providing a smoke detector not an ashtray.

The issue with the toilet is that a parent might need to go into it with a child so making an accurate detector system is hard.

heavenlyblue• 7 years ago

You can cover the smoke detector.

rzzzt• 7 years ago

no good technical way to implement the requested features without breaking core human respect of the users

A certain quote from Jurassic Park about scientists being preoccupied comes into mind...

ajmurmann4• 7 years ago

What's the problem we try to solve regarding toilet sex? Is it the existence of it or are there side effects we want to mitigate?

m0xte• 7 years ago

I can’t wait until they get sued when it goes wrong which it almost certainly will.

qzygr• 7 years ago

Better have screens inside that, when the sensors are triggered, show pictures of the Queen of England.

TomK325• 7 years ago

Maggie Thatcher, Maggie Thatcher, Maggie Thatcher.

edgwatson2• 7 years ago

I have a friend who has a disabled 18 year old son. Sometimes when the disabled bathroom is busy, he or his wife will go into a cubicle with the son to help - would that activate the no sex alarm?

d0100• 7 years ago

When having violent diarrhea I sometimes trash my arms around, or move my torso a lot. Would I get sprayed with water and subjected to public humiliation, mora than it already is having to shit in a public toilet?

TazeTSchnitzel2• 7 years ago

It's an Equality Act or Human Rights Act case waiting to happen.

lhorie• 7 years ago

It's not even just disabled people. I frequently take both of my kids to the bathroom at the same time. This is super common for families with small kids.

noname120• 7 years ago

Violent movement sensors will automatically open the doors

Is this even legal? This would expose users' nudity without their consent.

TomK325• 7 years ago

Oh, say you are a flasher, that'd be a great technological solution to satisfy your thing without anyone being able to do something about it.

defertoreptar• 7 years ago

I imagine they'll have a disclaimer printed for this exact reason.

Gustomaximus• 7 years ago

What happens when I go in with my 2 kids? As a larger that average man plus 2 kids am I going to be squirted? I really hope there is more to this than a weight sensor.

gillesjacobs2• 7 years ago

These toilets are an example of high tech hostile architecture. The waterjet spraying and weight sensitive floor "anti-sex features" do not seem to be primarily aimed at sex but prevent the homeless from staying inside:

"The planning documents detail a range of security features to deter rough sleeping, including an audible warning, combined with the lights and heating being switched off."
"Each night the toilets would close for 10 minutes while the unit undertakes a deep clean process."

I think these feature are really about preventing the homeless resting in the toilets and automated cleaning primarily. The so-called "anti-sex functionality" is accidental and for marketing purposes. Especially since hostile architecture has received a lot negative public attention lately.

cameronbrown3• 7 years ago

Especially since hostile architecture has received a lot negative public attention lately.

As it should. Brushing the problem aside rather than addressing it like a human being is just sickening. If the homeless aren't even allowed to sleep in public toilets..? Seriously, what's the worst that can happen?

CPLX• 7 years ago

Are you defining the problem as “some people don’t have homes” or “some people are unable to use public toilets because they are occupied by people sleeping and having sex in them”?

Seems like starting there is a good way to begin this topic.

stickfigure• 7 years ago

Public toilets are a limited, expensive resource. "The worst that happens" is that they stop being public toilets.

Go ahead and make an argument that we should build hotels for the homeless. Public toilets are not that. Sleeping in them is not even fair to other homeless people who need to use the toilet!

manjana• 7 years ago

They could have solved the we don't want homeless persons sleeping-issue by paying for the time used or have the user pay 5 min increments up front and have the doors auto-unlock when the "rental" expires.. Just a thought.

octosphere• 7 years ago

These toilets are an example of high tech hostile architecture

There's a good article on Wikipedia about hostile architecture

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostile_architecture

microtherion2• 7 years ago

Besides the risk of malfunction, there's also the risk of attracting people who get a kick out of being sprayed with water jets and "accidentally" exposed during sex.

I don't know that I personally would be into that, but neither fetish seems to be particularly uncommon.

TomK325• 7 years ago

For 50p extra you can choose from a variety of flavours added to the water.

lkjhdcba• 7 years ago

I've always wondered why so many toilets in the US seem to have see-through holes: you can be seen below the knees, between the hinges and if you're tall enough, above your neck. I've been told that this anti-privacy design was on purpose and made to avoid people doing drugs or having sex in toilets. Is it true?

madengr• 7 years ago

That’s why one person stands in a paper grocery bag.

curiousgal• 7 years ago

The answer is the same for why US houses are built with wood and appear "flimsy" compared to other countries'; cost.

petra• 7 years ago

Do wood houses just appear flimsy ? Or do they last significantly shorten than concrete ?

ajmurmann4• 7 years ago

I don't buy that for the bathroom doors. All you need is a tiny section that overlaps. You can even buy cheap plastic flaps to retro fit.

rrauenza• 7 years ago

Other reasons too, depending on location: https://csengineermag.com/article/wood-frame-construction-ad...

jonplackett• 7 years ago

Can’t wait for the false positives

cryptozeus• 7 years ago

Seems like a bad idea, is sex in the bathroom this big of a problem ? Does it happen this often ? Except for the dance clubs I have never witnessed this.

gillesjacobs2• 7 years ago

I believe the anti-sex features are actually anti-homeless features because toilet-sex probably is not that common + it does not cause many issues when it does happen.

ajmurmann4• 7 years ago

What is the detection of violent movements for of not the sex detection? I assumed the homeless would try to sleep resulting in closer to no movement. She goes for the weight detector that's supposedly there to see if two people are in there. The homeless issue could really be solved by a generous time limit.

jschwartzi• 7 years ago

In clubs it's less about sex and more about catching people using drugs. Some places will take the doors off bathroom stalls so they can catch people.

rolph• 7 years ago

some smear vasilene over all the horizontal surfaces so no drugs can happen easily.

TazeTSchnitzel2• 7 years ago

The UK still arrests people for “cottaging” (i.e. men suspected of having clandestine gay sex). For example: https://www.diversitytrust.org.uk/2019/02/arrested-for-cotta...

mynegation• 7 years ago

“Weight sensitive floors”

Unless these floors are also able to sense the distribution of this weight to the specific spot, this will be triggered by a large enough person.

inflatableDodo• 7 years ago

Kinky.

edit - to make the point with less brevity, some people will have sex in them for the water jets.

TomK325• 7 years ago

So, are the Welsh having too many children or why does the government want to stop them having sex?

JoeAltmaier• 7 years ago

...in toilets.

hedora• 7 years ago

I’m guessing this would run afoul of anti-springtrap laws in the US.

If the custodian of the restroom starting spraying undesirables with water, there’d be a lawsuit or maybe even assault charges.

I’m not a lawyer, but automating that should be even more illegal:

First, it implies premeditation. Also, it could endanger people in corner cases. What if someone is forced out with their pants down, wheelchair users, etc?

Zenst• 7 years ago

I read about these toilets the other day, though they do concern me in a few area's:

Some people sneeze and it causes sudden physical movement - boosh - soaked in water from a jet. Over-normalised by weight person uses the toilet - door won't close as thinks two people. People with IBS, constipation, ..... - door opens as taking too long.

Whilst I think these are good - we did have the perfect solution decades ago - a toilet attendant. Simple, effective, caters for all the edge cases and above all - utilises the over abundant resource of humans that just keeps on growing in numbers. Not many resources do that on this planet - apart from Co2.

So whilst the sentiments and efforts are great, not all solutions are IMHO suited for automation and unless we are striving to create as many unemployed humans as possible, I see not need to move in that direction upon this. Bring back toilet attendants, they just worked.

As for myself, fear of a long bowel movement and violent sneeze would see me soaking wet with the door open and unable to do anything about it.

RickJWagner• 7 years ago

If you're having sex in a toilet, you're doing something wrong.

Anti-sex toilets to spray users with water jets

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