Japanese app lets you know if your colleagues are hogging the bathroom
New software from Japan will let you know if the toilet cubicles in your office building or shopping mall are occupied.
Is there a more devastating sight than walking into a public bathroom, only to find all the cubicles are occupied? KDDI Corp, one of Japan's leading carriers, knows the feeling and wants to spare you the pain.
The company has developed software for PCs and smartphones to let people know just how many free bathroom stalls are available, and where, reports the Japan Times.
Sensors placed within cubicles around Tokyo will detect when doors are closed and locked by occupants, relaying the information to a remote server, which is then in turn sent out to the app.
KDDI plans to sell the sensors from March, from which time it'll be used in office buildings, train stations and shopping malls.
On top of this "toilet-tracker", KDDI plans on providing a service that monitors and controls the water usage of each facility through a internet-connected valve, which the company hopes will save upwards of 40-50 percent of water used from flushing.