Gizmodo: urinals

Trash Can Urinal Is a Disgusting Solution to a Disgusting Problem

John Herrman — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:43:45 EST

Drunk people! They pee everywhere. So what is a town to do, about all this urine? How about they install public urinals, disguised as trash cans? Yes. How about that.

The Wheelie Bin Urinal concept, which I shouldn't have to tell you came from England, came from England, the only country where public micturation is subject to stylistic regulation. It looks like a normal trash can you'd see on any street in the UK, except for a curious, and curiously labeled, little portal. This is for your junk.

As you can see in the video below, given that they were probably planning on peeing in public anyway, people don't seem to reluctant to mount the Wheelie Bin Urinal. But it isn't magic: at da end of da day, you're still stuck with a trash can full of piss. Or, if this is any better, piss and straw. [DesignBoom]

ONDA Urinal Concept Changes the Question: Did You Wash Yours Hands While Going to the Bathroom?

Jack Loftus — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT

Usually, washing up in the toilet at a sporting event gets you a one-way ticket out of the ballpark, but that could be changing thanks to Lee Isherwood and his ODNA urinal concept. The first—and probably last—of its kind, the ODNA promotes water conservation by combining a hand washing station with a urinal. Instead of simply flushing, you go about your business and then wash your hands in the infrared-activated "sink" above. The cascading water from the sink cleans out the toilet, and serves as the "flush."

The beauty of the ONDA, beyond its Italian-inspired design and conservation chops (uses only half the water—think about it), is that it can be fitted to existing plumbing. It also features an "anti-splashback" design for those with less-than-desirable aim (score!).Of course, for you non-hand washers out there, this is just another toilet. You know who you are. [Hershwood 3D via The Design Blog]

Urinals Coming to Airplanes, Beware the Golden Shower Turbulence

AddyDugdale — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:15:00 EDT

This is a pic of the urinals at Stockholm's Arlanda airport, courtesy of urinal.net, but if a German design company has its way, pissoirs will soon be a feature of passenger jets. Dassler Interiors has designed one-man urinals designed to stand alongside (sorry) the existing cubicle toilets on planes—let's just hope that they come with doors.

Although similar installations already exist on military aircraft, this will be the first time urinals will be available on commercial flights. As well as using less water than conventional sit-and-flush toilets, the urinals could lead to separate loos for men and women—which can only be a good thing, as my experience as a frequent flyer on the Madrid—London Gatwick route attests.

Norbert Runn, Dassler's head of Business Development, expects the urinals to go in economy class, where the majority of passengers are men. He declined to say which airlines were considering the move, but the urinals, which take up less space than the current cubicles, could well be fitted on Boeing 747s and the 380 Airbus. [Telegraph]

Urinal Headrest Invention Would Make Thomas Edison Proud

Adam Frucci — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:50:00 EST

This, my friends, is the greatest patent the world has ever known. Brilliant in its simplicity, it's a headrest for placement above urinals. I mean, haven't we all been in a state where we would just love to take a quick nap while peeing, but worried about the cleanliness/comfort of the tiled wall above the urinal? I know I certainly have. Come on, manufacturers. Let's make this one happen so drunks everywhere can pee with a bit more comfort and a little less dignity.

Update: Reader Evan Ryan just sent us a picture of a very similar contraption that he and his frat brothers, generally known to be the smartest people on any college campus, rigged up at their house at University of Illinois. They're currently preparing a lawsuit. Click through to check it out.

[Inventor Spot via Geekologie]

Gold Man Toilet Attachment Thinks It's a Urinal

Charlie White — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 08:52:36 EDT

Gold Man promises to turn your ordinary toilet into a urinal. When it's time to pee, just place the Gold Man on the toilet, and there you have it, a big porthole for your piss that supposedly keeps all that messy splashing off the bathroom floor, walls and ceiling. When you're done, you simply place the Gold Man back on its specially made base that sits next to the toilet.

This goofy looking attachment might come in handy for men with profound aiming problems, or maybe guys with prostate trouble that causes them to spray rather than stream. The company also recommends the Gold Man for the occasional barfing session you may encounter, keeping your head out of the loo and perhaps avoiding an unintentional swirly.

Hey, wait a minute here.

You still have to clean the Gold Man, don't you? Its makers recommend using a shower spray to rinse it off after each use. Huh? Just spray it in the shower, and you're golden? That's going to be a lot of trouble; it would probably be easier to clean your bathroom after each use, or just pee in the shower. Forget this bullshit. Get a real urinal—we recommend the Kohler Bardon Touchless. – Charlie White

Product Page [Neorex Oy]

Talking Urinal Cakes Discourage Drunks, Deliver Urgent Messages

Charlie White — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 15:45:00 EST

It's the perfect place to reach those who are spiraling down that path to drunkenness: a urinal, where guys who are merely renting beer are returning its effervescent byproducts whence they came. The weird thing is, this urinal cake actually talks. As soon as it senses motion, a disembodied voiceover babe talks to your penis thusly:

"Hey there, big guy. Having a few drinks? It's time to call a cab or ask a sober friend for a ride home."

Good message, but what an odd medium to deliver it! Captive audience, indeed. But we see all this urinal-based nagging as a slippery slope. Next, these little piss catchers will be singing us beer jingles. – Charlie White

DWI message finds home in urinal [Free Newmexican, via CrunchGear]

Urilift: Pee in the Street (Without a Ticket)

Mark Wilson — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 12:29:29 EST

The Urilift is Europe's $75,000 solution to drunken men peeing in the streets...in which drunken men still pee in the street...

The urinal doesn't enclose, meaning you still see people peeing, but have the peece of mind (couldn't help it) that they are peeing in a sanitary, regulated area. When the urinals are not in use (daytime), they are lowered to the underground.

Hit the jump for a fantastic, voyeuristic pee video that also demonstrates the Urilift in action.

I could watch this all day...because it's funny...– Mark Wilson

The World's Most High Tech Urinal [johnchow]

Urinal Sculptures, Still Just'a Peein'

Travis Hudson — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 11:15:16 EDT

What a better way to say good morning on a Friday than with fun and unique urinal sculptures. These pieces of art are designed to be placed in the bathrooms of art museums and they range from $6,500 to $10,500 if you feel ever-so-compelled to take one home. It's just like being drunk and peeing in the flowers, but this time you aren't killing the flowers! Sorry, ladies. The artist behind these urinals is obviously sexist and doesn't want you to partake in any of the fun. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via funfurde]

Talking Urinal, Let the Insults Fly

Travis Hudson — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 11:05:22 EDT

Just when I thought I was safe using my Securipee to stop the bathroom ridicule, now I have to deal with the actual urinal insulting my manhood. The Wizmark Urinal Communicator was created by Dr. Richard Deutsch—great use of that doctorate. It is a disposable drain cover that will sense a visitor and respond by playing a prerecorded message. It can play back any kind of a message—one county in New York is using the device to play public service announcements against drunk driving. – Travis Hudson

Talking Urinal [Newlaunches]

Pee Goal

Charlie White — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 09:45:04 EDT

As a World Cup mania sweeps everywhere in the world but the good old US of A., you might be hearing shouting from men's rooms across the world, yelling Goooooooaaaaaaaalllll! The pee goal has a little ball on a string hanging in front of its wee soccer goal, inviting sporting gentlemen to try their hand at scoring the big one. Or small one, as the case may be.

Plus, there's a practical aspect to it. It keeps the splashing down and prevents cigarette butts and such from clogging up the works. At $8.13, it might just be cheap enough to drop off at your local pub to enhance the World Cup festivities. – Charlie White

Product Page [lazybone]

Flower Shaped Urinals, For When Nature Really Calls

gizguest — Thu, 28 Jul 2005 10:50:07 EDT

Innovations in urinals are usually technological: they flush faster, quieter, more automatically, less wastefully; they massage you in all the right places and take your temperature and such. That's all fun and games... but California artist Clark Sorensen doesn't care for all that hi-tech stuff. Instead, he wants to make you pee in a pretty flower.

"Nature's Call", his appropriately named line of custom, hand-made, fully functioning vitreous porcelain fixtures can actually be plumbed and used in a bathroom. Each is meticulously hand built and one of a kind - formed from high fire porcelain and fired to cone 10 (2300 deg.). (cone 10?)

Prices vary from $3500 to $9500, the yellow orchid in the image fetching $5500. -DP

Nature's Call [Clark Sorensen via Trendir]

Flushless Urinal - Make Water Sans Water

johnb — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 12:00:23 EDT

Did you know that every time you flush in a public restroom—you do flush, don't you? Cause that big mint ain't going to cover up your Margarita-infused asparagus pee—you waste about a gallon of water? The goal of this project, thought up at the Kaiser Permanente French Campus Facility in San Francisco, is to create a flushless urinal system. The urinal is made of poreless ceramic so your whizz goes straight into a little hole where it is covered by some sort of lighter-than-pee liquid where it is later pumped away. Now, obviously, you have a healthy dose of pee waiting behind the wall at your local Denny's, but we're saving the earth, here, people.

Case Study for Flushless Urinals [Treehugger]

Pistake Urinal - For When You Have to Know

gizguest — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 09:51:02 EDT

I'm sure whatever is in your pants is as fresh as the driven snow, dear readers, but I just wanted to pass the word that recently graduated designer Malcolm Kimberley has decided to take your health seriously. His Pistake Urinal takes samples of your urine, analyses them for sexually transmitted diseases, and sends the results to your cell phone via Bluetooth. -RD

Like nowhere else [DAMS.RC.AC.UK]

More Pics:
BBC News (picture 6)