[1]: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/loodio/loodio-bathroom-...

It had FM-radio that didn't work and a crappy nokia 5110 display. We were "95% done" with that prototype, according to the consultants, and I was 60K in. I decided to pull the handbrake after realising that was not going to end well when I had no clue how to build the unit and those "5%" would probably cost me another 100% if you know what I mean.

I have since needed to learn how to design PCBs and mechanical design, redesigned everything from scratch and now ready to sell some units. Super stressful period.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninety%E2%80%93ninety_rule

Love a good "caught red-handed" internet moment, but this one might be Occam's Razor.

The tech companies I've worked at have started to build "gender neutral" bathrooms. They are a fully locked/enclosed rooms with sound proofing, i.e. no gaps at the bottom of the door. Sometimes you need to take a long session or maybe are not feeling great in the bathroom department (Probably TMI) and it's almost as good as WFH.

Kind of like if you're doing the dishes and have the water running, people can hear you just fine, but you can't hear anything that's said to you.

I know in psychologists' offices they often have the white noise device in the waiting room for this reason.

Would’ve gone with whale songs for a more authentic nature experience but that’s just me.

Non-sequitur: I am really disappointed that I have not seen a brown noise joke on these threads yet.

The real issue is lack of privacy. Worst problem I ever had was a kid crawling under the stall at Red Robin and saying "dad", and I was like no bro, I don't think your dad is in here.

I moaned for a blood draw once, because I haven't nailed the difference between "painful gasp" and "erotic moan"

I was horrified on the US with all the empty spaces. Who child conceive so idiotic bathrooms where you see the person inside?

Saw those all over France, as we were driving on a family vacation from Belgium.

In Paris, and most larger cities in France, they had more decent services.

But they also had public pissoirs.

I was also confused by the product wanting to be an all in one device for setting the "date night" mood, showing me the time, being a light source, etc. I think these are all distractions and should be cut from your plans. I imagine it would reduce your footprint and costs.

Still rooting for your success, thanks for trying to solve this problem!

* Elongated toilets are common in US and echo loudly. I can't imagine a speaker canceling out those sounds.

Here is the demo video for example: https://youtu.be/yw4EubU5lQg

Your other point, regarding turning off more timely, is just a matter of development. (The timer is also user configurable currently). But I want to add more sensors to it like a proximity sensor and light sensor, that will assist it to know if user really left room so that music can turn off faster. It's still very early.

I don't think the kickstarter is going to be funded as it looks right now. I'm about to open a Shopify store instead and continue moving forward. It's a product where you kinda need to experience it before you realise it's really nice. I think word of mouth will be largest marketing channel.

You really should try one. It has saved our "asses" here. :)

I question the ability to actually undo the sounds.

It is odd that software companies spend a ton of money on amazing office environments yet bathrooms still feel like you are inhabiting a barn yard.

I'm not sure if the office space was like that when they leased it, or if they had it designed that way intentionally due to space constrains. But when they expanded the office, they missed the opportunity to change the bathroom so it opened into a hallway of the new square-footage.

I hope this works out for you, as I know most people will simply not be able to deal with their discomfort in the same way I did. And telling people to "face their problem" is not the same as saying "face your problem, and also I will make your life a little easier in the mean time."

You can be the only person on an entire floor to use that bathroom. Having your coworkers hear what is going on inside can be very distressing (especially when we consider existing taboos).

Some neutral bathrooms that share a room between genders can amplify this, for example where I work there is a shared sink but cabins have wooden doors that go from floor to ceiling. Great to hide from eyesight, not so great for sounds. Exiting the cabin and noticing that a coworker of another gender was in the same room hearing everything you have done can be anxiety inducing.

People with health conditions also come to mind. IBS for example can result in some violent evacuations. Not everyone wants their coworkers to be aware of their health conditions.

People expect privacy, that's it.

This is a very real and very legitimate problem to be solved.

Surely, you must feel perfectly comfortable walking around naked, having people watch you defecate, or having sex in public? After all, it's part of life!

The whole reason we all agree that having a locked room to do your business in is ideal is because it's such a vulnerable position to be in. We feel better about being in a locked room, but you can never get your basic instincts to not feel vulnerable when you're mid defecation/mid urination. It's animalistic and can never go away.

Quite literally, knowing people can hear us take a dump triggers survival instincts because our brains think we could be alerting predators to our whereabouts while we're not in a position to run or fight

I'm not sure that's true. Given enough time it could change. I'm just not sure why we'd want it to. I'm perfectly content to leave some things a mystery and that includes what anyone else is doing in the bathroom.

I think it's also highly dependent on your cultural background and upbringing.

Doing your business next to a stranger in Tevas with hobbit feet and a serious gastro intestinal issue is nightmare fuel for me.

Looks like the actual number is somewhere closer to 2.8% - 16.4% of people [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28554367/]. (This study was specifically about "shy bladder" but that seems a pretty close proxy)

Eventually we are going to have to face and accept our natural human bodies as a species. For hundreds of years the market has offered us escape from them, with new technologies to plaster over our "faults" every decade. If only we had listened to the hairy armpit feminists when they were shouting this at us in the 60s and 70s...

That was a bit of a mind opener for me.

[edit: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/skin-irritated... ]

But there is another series of products, you drop a few drops in the toilet before pooping and it's remarkably effective at eliminating the after stink that wafts out smelling up the building.

First one (which I could never find again) was called "Whoopsie Poopsie" but there is also one called "Just A Drop Before You Go". Both were very effective and there are probably other brands that do the same thing.

https://prelamshop.com/en/

Passing along because I wish I'd known of these a long time ago they would have saved a lot of discomfort and embarrassment.

I'm honestly not sure how big of a problem that is. What else would you go to the bathroom for, then pee or poop?

I'm also not sure if announcing anyone I'm doing stuff in the bathroom is what I'd always want.

Try listening to "The Great Mighty Poo" : https://youtu.be/Vdd4rBlsj2o

How long does the music play for? Does it keep stopping and you have to wave your arms around while on the can to get it to start again?

even a cheap radio and then one of those fm-transmitters to send whatever you wanted to it..

if I was gonna do the pi route like OP is experimenting with, I'd want a switch or some other control to bring up volume and to change the sounds perhaps.. go from waterfall to rainstorm to fishing plopping sounds whatever.. add your own sounds via usb dongle.

download new ones for microtransactions.. lots of directions perhaps.

Let us just all agree that shit happens and we can all collectively be embarrassed.

Anyway a much harder but better privacy device would be one that can combat hidden cameras in bathrooms.

Cheera

If you are looking for music to play, "Let it go" from Disney's Frozen would be perfect.

It is loud enough to cover the sounds, and it is appropriate to the moment.

"Let it go, let it go, can't hold it back anymore..

I don't care what they're going to say"

A few years ago I worked for a small startup using a tiny live/work loft as an office in the heart of downtown San Diego.

We had the exact same issue you describe where 7 guys and 3 gals were all terrified to use the restroom because any little sound could be heard through the wall into the main space.

Because of that we started seeking out other places to deal with nature, which led to the phrase "I'm going to visit the Hilton".

Needless to say by the end of my time working there I knew the nearby Hilton & Marriott hotels in and out, including how to act like a guest to gain access to the better restrooms (although they surely caught on).

At the time I wondered whether a crowd-sourced bathroom finder app would be feasible and purchased the domain thronehunter.com, which I still own to this day!

I have a friend who walks to his parents house 5 minutes away whenever he has a date at home. And another friend that takes the elevator 14 stairs down to the common washing facilities in his apartment building that has an extra bathroom.

I've done the same thing many times in my life out of fear of the sounds or the sm.. you get the point!

Good luck on your project, it's a great idea!

Oh and two thoughts:

- I like the name but I read it in my head at first as "Loo-di-doo" (I'm dyslexic). Then I realized that has a nice ring to it as you can almost hum it. Loodidoo Loodidoo

- For 2nd generation how feasible would it be to add an automatic scent dispenser? So e.g. after X minutes of no movement, spray a nice scent to clear the air.

2. Yeah have thought about that. It’s just a lot of work first to just finish this product as I would like to have it. One day for sure. Perhaps partner with some air freshener company.

I do like the name and now it makes sense :)

Here in the EU toilets in offices, hotels, and other public restrooms usually have a 'lobby' where the sink is, with a seperate toilet room. Usually without a power outlet.

Next to that, I think placing the device publicly might make it sensitive to theft, as well as it not being very vandalize proof.

I could imagine redesigning the hardware and make it a few centimeters or inches thick, it could fit in a generic bathroom tile place.

Current version is like you say targeted towards small businesses and homes.

Just how loud is your shit? Maybe just ask your coworkers to put on head phones.

Yeah, definitely 0/10 on the awkwardness scale.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Pe7jtFvMYA (Portlandia sketch)

I don't believe a recorded waterfall sound coming from small speaker will mask the explosive bass-heavy thunder downunder from the toilet bowl and resonated around the bathroom.

If anything, fix a few sound dampening tiles to the bathroom walls and ceiling.

How do I solve this "problem"? Simple, it's absolutely no problem at all.

Who the hell cares that your coworkers hear you taking a shit? Guess what, they also take shits and their asses make the same noises, do all of them cover it up in such ridiculous ways? Until today, I didn't even think this was even a problem.

I mean, I guess its not the end of the world if Amazon recommended to me laxatives, toilet paper, or a plunger when I needed one.

Working at home.

Loodio plays chill music and requires no interaction. Plus it has the night lights and the display, which I want to make larger and have other features planned for it.

Working from home.

https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2255

Imagine if every time some of your coworkers go in for a little pee pee, you hear "peeing, pooping, farting, chatter, moans and groans" at maximum volume.

You know what ? That sounds like a hella fun workplace. Don’t forget the gross spitting sound.

What if it's the other way around?

https://lennytroll.com/

Uh, I see what you did there OP. How about some modesty there?

No.

As others have pointed out, upmarket Japanese toilets have this feature as well as many other comfort features (auto bidet rinse and dry feature etc.)

People who want this feature will therefore just go out and buy a Japanese toilet, since not only will they get the soundtrack but they will get all the fancy comfort features too.

For everyone else, unless a medical condition prevents you from doing so, the answer is simple .... make some very minor adjustments to your diet and you will find you can avoid doing a "no 2" in the office altogether and just do it in the comfort of your own home in the morning and evening.