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Surprising Science —

Sink-Urinal Hybrid Gives Men One Less Excuse

A Latvian designer has created a urinal that includes a shallow sink built into the top. It's economical too: When the person washes his hands, the water used rinses the urinal basin as well.

What’s the Latest Development?

Now available in select locations in Norway, Germany, Russia, and designer Kaspars Jursons’ home country of Latvia: STAND, a combination sink and urinal. The sink is located just over the urinal basin, and when the user washes his hands, the water rinses the basin. A sensor-activated faucet makes it a completely hands-free process “barring the…bar of soap.” The hybrid appliance, which retails for US$590, is a hit with the owners of a concert venue in Riga, who say it’s saved them thousands of liters of water.

What’s the Big Idea?

According to a 2010 study, which involved researchers observing public restroom behavior in five American cities, approximately one in every three Americans doesn’t wash their hands after “doing their business,” and unsurprisingly the majority of these were men. Jursons came up with the idea for STAND after producing several different combinations of restroom appliances as part of an art school project, and eventually created his own company to develop the product after a quick Google search revealed that nothing like it existed. Hopefully, it’s a urinal whose time has come.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

Read it at FastCompany/Co.Design

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