America's public restroom shortage is so dire the country now ranks 30th globally, sharing the spot with Botswana. Building more traditional bathrooms isn't the simple answer, though, as upkeep and misuse quickly turn new facilities into cautionary tales. Enter "smart" restrooms, an experiment led by the DC-based Throne Labs, which has deployed high-tech, self-contained bathrooms in cities like Los Angeles and Ann Arbor, Michigan, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Access requires digital verification, but privacy is preserved—users are tracked by unique identifiers, not real names. Step out of line and your bathroom privileges might get suspended, with a ratings system Throne likens to Uber's ratings. Sensors monitor for smoke, occupancy, and cleanliness, and users are encouraged to rate their experience, prompting cleaning crews when needed. Sessions are limited to 10 minutes, with warnings issued before doors open.
The approach appears to be working: Ann Arbor's yearlong pilot saw 100,000 uses and "through the roof" ratings, prompting a five-year contract. The crowded Los Angeles Metro has 20 Thrones and is adding dozens more, finding that even in challenging locations, the community often becomes invested in keeping facilities usable. Throne's bathrooms are off the grid—solar powered, with onboard water and waste tanks—allowing for quick installation without costly infrastructure. While the price tag isn't trivial (about $90,000 per unit per year in LA), that cost is all-inclusive, and it "compares favorably with typical costs to build a new bathroom, connect it to services, and maintain it," per the Journal. (Check out this Axios columnist's experience using a Throne toilet.)
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