Sep 12, 2015 | By Benedict
It would be fair to say that most people have a strong aversion to portable toilets. Virtually everyone has had a bad experience or two with such a facility, whether at a festival, building site or crowded city centre. In some Chinese cities, portable toilets in popular tourist areas have a reputation for being particularly unpleasant and often dimly lit, a problem which is driving tourists and locals potty. That's why the 2015 China International Tourism Expo (September 10th-13th) has organised a portable toilet exhibition, in which designers have been able to showcase new and innovative toilet designs.
So far, the exhibition has been a big success, with one particularly eye-catching model being produced by Shanghai Huajie Eco-environment Engineering Co.,Ltd. The company's radical sanitary offering is a partially 3D-printed portable toilet made using unique modular assembly technology. To add an aesthetic touch, geometric modeling has been used to create a stylish surface for the toilet which resembles tree trunk lines in a forest. The interior design of the toilet is simple and elegent, whilst the yellow and black exterior is bold and striking.
When the toilet unit is fully assembled and open for use, it measures 60 square meters. It contains 10 portable toilets, and after disassembly can be packed into a 17.5-metre-long truck for transport. Designers say the toilet has a long life span which, coupled with its portability and flexibility, makes it an economically viable product.
Shanghai Huajie Eco-environment Engineering Co.,Ltd are hopeful that their design will prove popular for several reasons. Though the 3D printed unit is still essentially a portable toilet, it has virtually nothing in common with the typical grotty kind that we know and hate. Its most basic advantage over regular toilets is its portability, which means that no permanent occupation of land is required. The toilet can be packed and unpacked where and when is necessary. Furthermore, the 3D printed portable toilet contains some impressive technological features. The ventilation and lighting conditions can be controlled, which helps to combat the common problems of bad smell and dimness. The owner of the toilet can furthermore monitor various usage statistic via an internet connection: water consumption, number of visitors, and other important data.
Is it 'all cisterns go' for 3D printing in the world of toilets, or will dark and dirty loos continue to reign? The positive response at the China International Tourism Expo suggests that additive manufacturing could flush away the competition sooner rather than later.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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I know that some portable toilets come with a foot-lever used for flushing. I suppose it would help if all restrooms had more hands-free functionality. I know that the thought of touching the same handle that countless others have is rather nauseating to many.
Naveed Ayub wrote at 9/15/2015 1:58:08 PM:
3D printer can do much more cool things we have imagined ever, i want to add some details regarding to this to this awesome technology....
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