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Although certainly magnificent in many aspects (some more than others I would guess), the human penis still lacks one or two steps in the evolution ladder to be able to accommodate today’s way of life and hygiene demands. Let’s face it, 100 years ago the fact that pissing while standing up sprayed urine
all around the designated target might have been acceptable. Nobody bathed anyway so the smell of stale urine might have gone by undetected. That is not the case today. W.C.s have a tendency to be somewhat smelly, and that’s mainly a consequence of poorly designed urinals. I guess urinal manufacturers don’t really test their products. Maybe some study on the maximum spraying angle was in order, I don’t know. Anyway, if we don’t want to leave it to evolution to adapt our penises to provide more concentrated fire power, or at least to minimize the spraying angle, maybe we should work on the targets. So, looking at the general design of urinals one can immediately detect a number of difficulties. For starters, it doesn’t matter how cleverly you place the water jets, there are always some areas that are not reachable by the water. You could minimize this problem by increasing the water pressure, but then you would probably get a lot of wet users and somehow I don’t think that solution would be appreciated. So, how could you maximize the washing efficiency without risking multimillion dollar law suits? Add a lid to the urinal! Duh!!! So, after each usage, a the urinal would automatically and hermetically close the lid. With the lid closed, water with disinfectant could be sprayed on all areas of the urinal, including the lid, without getting anyone wet. After the washing procedure, the lid would recede back to it's receptacle. Simple, yet effective.
The toilet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flush_toilet
[PauloSargaco, Oct 02 2007]
The urinal
http://en.wikipedia...ke_gsu_cit_2004.jpg
As opposed to the toilet [PauloSargaco, Oct 02 2007]
Urinal Games
http://gizmodo.com/...al-games-163207.php
Can this truly be called a pissing contest? [Canuck, Dec 03 2007]
Home: Urinal: Entertainment
http://www.halfbake..._3a_20Entertainment
Yes, we have a category for that. [jutta, Dec 03 2007]
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Annotation:
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The problem arises when people /miss/ the urinal. The urinal itself is usually cleaner than the floor. |
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Hmmm... I believe that is a problem that happens more with toilets than with urinals. But yes, if the shooter can't aim there's no evolutionary or technological solution for the problem. For that you would need a human aid that would help to aim the piece. Maybe I can propose that as another idea. |
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I have to bone this, even though I'd rather at least leave it neutral. |
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It's a stereotype that men don't put the lid back down, and in practice it seems to hold more or less true. A public restroom's fixtures often don't even include lids - seats only. Demanding that the user operate the lid is spotty and unreliable. |
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There are many urinal designs out there that are very effective at washing down the entire surface. Each generation of urinal manufacture gets a little better, then the next generation of water-usage-reduction legislation comes through, and they have to go through the sequence again. |
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I daresay the bad smells coming from a restroom are most likely coming from *ahem* splatter, be it either on the floor or on a portion of the fixtures that isn't part of the washdown area. I see this a lot. |
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I'm a building manager, and one of my primary responsibilities is the overall health of our buildings' fixtures. Urinals are one of those things we talk about over lunch. Our conclusion - on this very topic - is that the only surefire way to eliminate odor in any restroom that will be used by people who are not instructed and monitored in the use of the restroom, is to close it off and not allow anyone in to use it. That's all there is to it. Potty habits vary widely, and the conscientiousness of the users vary just as widely. There is no technological solution to a slob. |
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Some ethnic groups were granted different equipment than others. I work with a bunch of fellows from a group that didn't get a very good deal. Aiming is obviously of minimal benefit to them. |
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//the development of the prehensile
penis.// Would this be followed, in due
course, by the development of the hensile
penis? |
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Urinal problems are inherent in the design of the fixture, which allows splashback (this can be demonstrated, simply wear a pair of shorts on your next attempt) and doesn't adequately catch the stream. There is a well known book that details the failure of moderm plumbing that I can't remember the name of at the moment ... |
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//I guess urinal manufacturers don’t really test their products.// LWBMAO |
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[elhigh], I believe I wasn't clear enough on the explanation of my idea. First let me point out that I'm making a distinction between urinal and toilet (see links). While toilets do usually have lids, urinals never do. Or at least I've never seen a urinal with a lid. |
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In my view of the world, a urinal is much better adapted to the most natural position for a man to urinate. That is, standing. And my idea concerns urinals only. |
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While I agree with you that nothing can beat not using a restroom as a way to avoid the development of odours, I would kindly ask you to reread my idea in the light of the current explanations. |
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P.S.: I'm also retouching my idea to emphasize the fact that the lid would be automatically hermetically closed after each usage. |
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[evilpenguin], I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that particular acronym. Worst than that, Google never heard of it either. If I had to guess I would say it means "Laugh With Both My Asses Off", but that doesn't make much sense. Although it could be argued that sense is highly overrated these days. |
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Come to think of it LWBMAO could also mean "Laugh With Both My Antennas On" which would make sense if you were an insect or maybe a martian. |
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The title of this just makes me wonder what "The Incomplete Urinal" would look like, and how it might cultivate and improve the aim and precision of the user. |
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Well, I think that without goodwill, sobriety and a trained hand guiding the urinating penis, there is not much that can be done to alleviate the aim and precision problem. |
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My first point in my anno is that you cannot count on use of the lid, not on a toilet and I think it safe to say not on a urinal either. And even if you can count on use of the lid, I've never yet seen a urinal that was provided with toilet paper for dabbing off either dampened digits, that nagging drip that seems to suck back in, or the fixture itself. And once a few drips have gotten round to where the lid can touch them - and you know they will - they will begin to leave a constant wet spot or stain that will discourage any further touching of the lid. |
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elhigh, the lid is automatic, so no touching is required. Nowhere in the idea's description does it say the urinal user must touch any part of the lid to close it. End of touching problem. |
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As for the original problem, I seem to recall a pub that was suffering a similar situation. They came up with an elegantly simple solution - they put a bullseye on their urinal cakes. Apparently if you give a man something to aim for, he will. They discovered their need for routine maintenance on the urinals dropped by over 50% whenever they used the bullseye cakes. And I also heard about a place that stuck a fake fly in the urinal for guys to try and drown. |
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For the next generation of this concept, check out the link. |
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Or the entire Home: Urinal: Entertainment section at the halfbakery. |
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// Or at least I've never seen a urinal with a lid. |
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I think I might have, in a dutch private home. I didn't dare use it at the time, in case I'd mistaken it's true use, but I can't think that it could have been anything else. |
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Perhaps there should be urinal cubicles that get an entire washdown, like super loos. |
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Thanks, [Canuck]. I appreciate it that you replied that one for me. BTW, great link. |
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[elhigh], regarding the "nagging drip" that you mention, what I usually do is get some paper from the toilet stalls beforehand. I've noticed that fellow urinators don't usually follow that practice, but if you'd like to join me on a international movement, maybe we could get people to adhere to this practice. Hell, maybe we can even start the practice of installing toilet paper dispensers in the urinal area!!! Who's with me?! Come on, people, let us join hand (you there, go wash your hands first) and start a new era of clean wilies for everyone. This toilet-paper-for-toilets-only tyranny MUST BE DEAL WITH!!! |
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