You take the p***! Scientists develop the ultimate URINAL with a narrow opening that prevents ANY splashing water
- The backsplash problem with urinals has persisted since their invention
- Scientists have designed a new one that promises to minimize this mess
- It has a curved inner surface inspired by the nautilus shell and is long and deep
- They found that it resulted in 50 times less splashing than conventional urinals
Backsplash from the urinal is a problem that plagues many men, but thanks to the work of some intrepid engineers, it could soon be a thing of the past.
A team from the University of Waterloo has designed a ‘splash-free urinal’ that promises no urine splashes, no matter what the user aims for.
The urinal is designed with a special narrow opening and a curved inner surface that prevents drops from flying out.
It was debuted at the American Physical Society’s Annual Meeting of the Department of Fluid Dynamics yesterday.
In the summary for their presentation, the team wrote, “Our new urinal designs keep bathrooms cleaner and reduce the labor, water and chemicals required for periodic cleaning to promote more sustainable bathroom maintenance.”
Scientists have designed a ‘splashless’ urinal that minimizes the mess of users of all heights (second from right). They also conducted tests on a conventional urinal (second from left), one inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s ‘Fontaine’ sculpture (far left), and two other experimental designs (center and far right).
The splashless urinal has a deep, long shape and a surface geometry inspired by the smooth, undulating curve of the nautilus shell (pictured)
This problem of splashing water has been “persisted since the invention of the urinal well over a century ago,” the scientists said.
To create their anti-splash version, they first set out to find at what angle a jet of urine causes the least splash back when hitting a surface, according to New scientist.
To do this, they modeled how a dog urinates against a tree, because the animals instinctively know to lift their hind legs to get close to this “critical angle.”
They also conducted experiments with a series of test urinals, firing a jet of colored liquids at different speeds and heights to see which created the most mess.
Including a conventional urinal, one inspired by the sculpture ‘Fontaine’ by Marcel Duchamp, and two of his own designs.
After each experiment, the team wiped up any splashes with paper towels and weighed them to determine how much liquid was picked up.
Combining this data with the peeing dog model, it was determined that the critical angle resulting in the least splash was approximately 30°.
“A surface designed to always cut the urine stream equal to or less than the critical angle thus prevents backsplash,” they wrote.
The researchers conducted tests on different types of urinals, including one inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s ‘Fontaine’ sculpture (pictured)
This splashing problem has been ‘persisted since the invention of the urinal more than a century ago’, according to the scientists (stock image)
Based on the findings, the team designed a new urinal that causes a stream of urine approaching at any flow rate and from any direction to hit the surface close to this angle.
Their design has a deep, long shape and a surface geometry inspired by the smooth, undulating curve of the nautilus shell.
The researchers tried the paper towel test with their new urinal, and the result was 50 times less splashing than with a conventional urinal.
They claim their design also works better than standard urinals in unstable environments, such as in ships and airplane cabins.
Unfortunately, it remains unclear if the team plans to patent their design or how much it could cost.
