Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) announced Wednesday that is piloting a Smart Bathroom system by the name of “Tooshlights.” Tooshlights indicates via bathroom lighting when a stall is occupied and when it’s night.
The new bathroom features a green light bulb outside each stall. When a stall door is locked, the bulb corresponding with that stall turns red. This reduces the hassle of peeking beneath doors for feet and a mortifying encounter if an occupied stall was accidentally unlocked.
While this smart system doesn’t seem completely Earth shattering, founder and president Allen Klevens believes that it will solve an important problem found in busy areas such as airports.“Everybody that I’ve spoken to over the years, everybody’s had this issue,” Klevens said in a phone interview. “Either you’ve been on the one side of the stall and somebody’s tried to walk in and you feel uncomfortable, or you’ve been on the outside and people are standing there and waiting to see who comes out of the stall when there could be three or four stalls available.”
These new locks record data about their use, which is used by airport staff in the long run. LAX officials can use this system to traft how often each stall is being used and at what time, and evaluate how well their restrooms are meeting demands.
This can help the employees to optimize restroom layout, size, and cleaning schedules. In emergency-evacuation situations, the data will also inform officials how many people are still in the bathroom, and where they are.
Although this system is certainly not necessary, it is just another luxury in life that makes certain things easier and more enjoyable.