Polyglot loo excites Euro team

Researchers at the Technical University in Vienna together with colleagues at the University of Dundee are developing a voice-activated toilet for the elderly and disabled.

The "Smart Toilet" adapts to the individual needs of its users. If the seat is too low a simple command instructs the toilet to raise it. Likewise, the supporting arms at either side are movable so that wheelchair users need not stretch too far from their chairs to move themselves onto the toilet.

Paul Panek, leader of the project at the university, said the project was still in its early stages. "We hope to test the first prototype this year, but there is still a great deal of work to be done. The finished product won't be ready until 2004."

The toilet will be programmed with various languages including English, Italian, Swedish, Dutch and Hebrew. People across European countries will be asked about their requirements over the next few months through a computerised interview system developed by a team from Dundee.

Researcher Norman Ulm said that many people were happier to deal with a computer rather than with a human when faced with sensitive subjects. "We expect there to be cultural differences in people's degree of embarrassment. The population of the United Kingdom might be a bit more shy. Our Italian partners had a focus group of older people who weren't shy or embarrassed at all."