New Technology That Could Cut Public Restroom Wait Times

http://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewbender/2014/06/30/the-new-technology-that-could-cut-public-restroom-wait-times-by-50/

by nairteashop • 12 years ago

12 11 12 years ago

stormbrew• 12 years ago

So... that thing they've always done on airplanes?

rogerbinns• 12 years ago

The planes don't show which restrooms are free, just that one or more are. I've been on a few flights where there are several people waiting, and no one is sure which are occupied since you can't see around corners or into other aisles.

joncrocks• 12 years ago

"New technology". You mean a light? Or a door slider?

6cxs2hd6• 12 years ago

Yes. And yet, still a better tech story than Yo.

josephschmoe• 12 years ago

To be fair, this falls very well into the "Internet of Things" category. Imagine this scenario: You're at a convention and looking for a bathroom - but the convention hall floor just closed and there's big lines everywhere. You have to choose: A. Wait in line B. Look for a less occupied bathroom

With this, you could look at a map with simple %'s and see not only average usage - but the exact occupation rate right now. You could then see that the Hall A's restroom is only at 50% capacity and head over there.

A similar technology could be employed for seating and room occupancy as well, telling you better break rooms or where all the crowds are. Wouldn't it be awesome if you knew your coworker was in her cubicle, even if she wasn't on the computer? Or if you're a building manager, you could note the number of people who use certain restrooms, hallways and meeting rooms and adjust accordingly to redirect traffic elsewhere.

Essentially, these sorts of things are what traffic engineers have been doing for a long time - but applied to people instead of cars.

bradddd• 12 years ago

I can't wait for the cluster analysis generated quest to find the 3 archetypal bathroom-user types.

alexmarcy• 12 years ago

I wasn't aware this was even something people worried about until I saw someone else doing a low-tech version of it a while back... http://www.rgj.com/story/money/business/2014/02/19/-reno-inv...

DrinkWater• 12 years ago

Is that a troll post by Forbes? I am confused.

n0rm• 12 years ago

Fixing lights on doors is new technology?

joezydeco• 12 years ago

"Tooshlights can also collect data on restrooms’ usage rates: for example, a consistently green light in a sea of red may tip off the maintenance crew that a loo is out of order or needs to be cleaned."

This doesn't really clarify what happens with a stall that's out of order or in an, ahem, "unusable" state. In fact it sounds more confusing because now the person that was first wants to become first again and wait for another usable stall to open...

jasonpeacock• 12 years ago

Or just install cell-phone jammers in the restrooms...

New Technology That Could Cut Public Restroom Wait Times

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