Gizmodo: bathing

Sanyo's Human Washing Machine From 1970

Sean Fallon — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:20:00 EST

Back in 1970, Sanyo envisioned a future where manual bathing was obsolete and head-washing was (apparently) optional. At the World Expo in Osaka, Sanyo unveiled their plan in the form of the Ultrasonic Bath.

Essentially, the device was a human washing machine that cleaned, massaged and dried the occupant in a fully-automated 15 minute cycle. Obviously, Sanyo's vision of the future didn't quite pan out for the average citizen, but if you live in Japan you can look forward to a similar experience when your kids finally decide to put you in a home. A descendant of the Ultrasonic Bath concept called the HIRB ("Human In Roll-lo Bathing") system works in a similar fashion—scrubbing the elderly to a sparkling shine. [Pink Tentacle via Neatorama]

SPAcer is Flip-Up Spa Bath For Tiny Homes

Kit Eaton — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:30:00 EDT

In the manner of space-saving beds that zip into the ceiling and bookcases concealed in stairways is the SPAcer bath design by Dominik Chojnacki. It's designed to swivel upright and slide out of the way when it's not in use, then hinge down and connect with a floor-based drain/support assembly when you fancy a quick jacuzzi. Actually a rather elegant concept for small apartments, given the huge mass and space-invaderiness of your normal spa-bath: it'd just be a question of designing the body and hinge to be strong enough, and making that drain connection foolproof. [Yanko Design]

Boobkini Defies Laws of Physics, Shocks Millions

Charlie White — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 18:09:49 EDT

Chalk one up for Japanese ingenuity—defying the laws of physics and inventing perhaps the finest gadget in history: the Boobkini. It's decent, but indecent at the same time! That's what they said about the bikini (from the Latin bi, meaning "two," and kini, meaning "square inches of Lycra") back in 1946.

Yeah, we post babes, often gratuitously, but hey, this is a gravity-defying invention. How is this done? Well, it's just magic. – Charlie White

Mario Knows You Smell

gizmodo.com — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 11:27:58 EST

The Japanese know we're suckers for anything Mario-related. So when a guy on eBay puts up some official Mario "Bath Bombs" for sale, people in the states love it for two reasons: it's Mario and it makes you smell like fresh flowers. Drop Mario into your hot bath and he'll fizz you with his water-jet pack and make you feel all fun and gamer-like. Clean as sunshine, too. Bidding ended at a lame 2.35 / $4.11 for these suckers. Guess Mario isn't that much of a blast when it comes to cleaning up.

Mario bath bombs for stinky gamers [Boing Boing]