I have a trash can in my kitchen with an automatic sensor. It's great most of the time, but I have to walk widely around it, lest my ass continuously trigger the lid. But now Simplehuman has multi-sense. MULTI-SENSE.
This rectangular 17 x 12 x 25-inch stainless steel trash can doesn't just open and close when it detects something passing in front of its sensor zone, it does different things depending on what happens.
For example, once the lid is open, the "trigger zone" opens up to become more sensitive. If it sees you doing stuff for another three seconds—scraping leftovers from a plate—it'll transition into a 30-second open mode.
Also, it has auto-motor disengaging if you shove the lid down or if you pry it open to prevent damage to the mechanism. You run it off 6 C-batteries (for up to a year), or you can plug it into a power adapter.
Like other Simplehuman products, it's not cheap, and will run you $225 with a 2-year warranty. [Simplehuman]