Friendly rest room project: A toilet prototype for improving the quality of life of old people and persons with disability

This paper describes a prototype adaptable toilet facility, one of several prototypes which have been designed, manufactured and evaluated by the FRR consortium in the EU funded Friendly Rest Room (FRR) project (QLRT-2001-00458). This prototype of a smart and user friendly toilet is able to adjust itself automatically to the individual needs of the user; in particular, attention has been given to the needs of old people, of persons with a disability and of accompanying carers. The needs and wishes of the users have been assessed and interpreted in direct interaction between users, researchers, technicians and designers, and thus operatively influenced the development process. According to the preferences, abilities and needs of the user the prototype system offers automatic adjustability and manual control of toilet height and tilt, of light level, with support bars and alarm functions. User interface methods include push buttons, speaker independent voice control, touch screen, voice output, and voice level triggered alarm. The usage of RFID technology (contactless smart cards) allows storing and updating users' preferences on a personal data base which allows the toilet prototype to adapt itself while and even before the user is entering the toilet room. Dedicated sensors allow recognising certain phases of the toilet process, e.g. when the user starts to stand up and, if wanted by the user, can assist him/her by raising the toilet. The prototype has been evaluated intensively by elderly and disabled test participants.