The U.S. Could Be on the Cusp of a Smart Toilet Revolution

Will Americans take to smart toilets the way they have embraced smartphones?

That's what Yoshiaki Fujimori, CEO of Japan's Lixil Corporation, is hoping. Lixil is adding "integrated bidets" to American Standard Brands, which the company purchased last year. As Fujimori told The Wall Street Journal, U.S. consumers may not realize they need such fixtures in their homes — but they will soon.

"Industry presents iPhone — industry presents shower toilet," Fujimori told the Journal. "We can create the same type of pattern."

Smart toilets, which can sync with a user's smartphone via Bluetooth and even play their favorite tunes while doing their business on the bowl, are now in three-quarters of Japanese homes. In the U.S., they are still something a curiosity, with a niche following among the Hollywood celebrities and early adopters. Read more...