In China, a guy barely escaped a harrowing experience with a smart toilet that took an unexpected turn. The device went from emitting smoke to downright exploding in flames shortly after he vacated the bathroom.
From Oddity Central:
The Yangtze Evening News newspaper recently reported the story of a man from Xiamen, Fujian Province, who recorded his smart toilet burning after a suspected short-circuit. The incident occurred on November 10, while the man was using the toilet. At first, there was the smell of smoke, then plumes of white smoke started billowing from the toilet bowl, and finally, just as the man got up from the toilet, the smart toilet burst into flames. Photos taken by the shocked man show that he didn’t even have time to put his shorts on before the toilet started burning.
The cause of the incident has not been revealed, but the owner suspects that a short circuit sparked the fire. Similar incidents were reported in August of last year, when a man in Lishui, Zhejiang Province, woke up to the strong smell of smoke to find his smart toilet burning in the bathroom, and in August of this year, in Shibing County, Guizhou, where another man’s smart toilet burst into flames for no apparent reason.
Japan has long been known as the biggest smart toilet market in the world – although the smart toilet was actually invented in the United States back in 1964 – but China is quickly catching up. Locally produced smart toilets are seeing strong sales, and for good reason. Smart toilets do have some obvious advantages, such as automatic flushing, heated toilet seats, water conservation, self-cleaning function, etc., but there are some places where too much technology can be aa problem, and the toilet is apparently one of them.
Although smart toilets are the latest craze, this story has me convinced that I'll be holding onto my old-fashioned porcelain throne a bit longer.
