FutureWire - futurism and emerging technology

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Turning Urinals into Video Games

In today's entertainment-driven society, everything can be made into a form of recreation. And I do mean everything...

Consider the video game urinal developed by Marcel Neundörfer. While a man is using a rest room, he can play a game by, uh, taking care of business:

Recessed into a urinal is a pressure-sensitive display screen. When the guest uses it, he triggers an interactive game, producing images and sound.


Hey, what the heck... most guys would get a kick out of it! But the device arguably has some practical advantages as well:

The reduced size of the “target” improves restroom hygiene and saves on cleanings costs (like the “fly in the urinal” at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport). It also makes a trip to the urinal “fun and games” – more than just a necessary nuisance.


The design also has some "critical-ironic" artistic aesthetics evocative of Duchamp. And Lord knows that typical public men's rooms need all the artistic help they can get...

Now, of course, comes the next obvious challenge -- a version for the ladies!

Source: Boing Boing