Do not squeeze the Charmin, but view the company’s three new futuristic concepts at CES: the RollBot, SmellSense and V.I. Pee designed to make a smart home even better.
Charmin’s RollBot toilet paper robot makes its debut for CES 2020.
Image: Proctor & Gamble
Charmin is getting a bit cheeky at CES 2020 with a toilet paper robot.
That’s right, a TP bone. It will rush your toilet paper to you if you find yourself stranded without a roll on the changing table. Consider it the ultimate in a smart home.
Image: Proctor & Gamble
The bathroom, the last bastion of high-tech privacy, now has its own robot, thanks to the GoLab from Charmctor from Proctor & Gamble. At least in theory. The product is one of three that P&G is debuting as a concept at CES 2020, but that is not available for sale to the public.
Terrified Mr. Whipple and his pleas “Please do not pinch the Charmin” during the long-running advertising campaign from 1965 to 2000 could not have predicted that his precious product would be in the spotlight again for a robot that brings toilet paper, a VR experience and a sensor for odors.
SEE: More CES 2020 coverage (TechRepublic)
According to studies quoting Proctor & Gamble, people use the bathroom on average six to seven times a day and spend an average of 156 hours a year on the toilet. Very little innovation has been seen for such a critical room in a house.
The three new technologies from Charmin at CES, the RollBot, SmellSense and V.I. Pee, are conceptual prototypes that “are made to provide a better bathroom experience from start to flush,” P&G said.
Here is a closer look at each of the new products:
RollBot
RollBot: a first robot of its kind that, operated with a smartphone via Bluetooth, yields a new role Charmin, so that you no longer end up in that uncomfortable, talk-to-yourself position. You may remember that in addition to Mr. Whipple, Charmin’s avatar is a woodland forest bear, and the RollBot’s futuristic design “uses self-balancing technology to give it a more amorphous look,” the release said.
SmellSense
The inner workings of SmellSense.
Image: Proctor & Gamble
SmellSense: We have all been there: we are not trying to make it clear that we are waiting for the bathroom to “air” after the previous visitor. The predictive SmellSense is an electronic sensor monitoring system that allows users to plan ahead and control how the bathroom smells without having to experience it for themselves. It is calibrated to detect carbon dioxide found in a “toot” or “two”. SmellSense reports the stench status via a GO / NO GO display. It lets you know when you can go in without an offensive nasal attack.
V.I.Pee
The V.I. pee of the Charmin GoLab.
Image: Proctor & Gamble
V.I.Pee: Portable toilets usually store an “ugh” of partygoers, concerts or visitors to events. But V.I. Pee is a “premium” experience “enhanced with Oculus Rift S VR” to transport a GOer who misses every moment to the front row, “to never miss a beat on the seat.” Participating in the event pretty much “exactly where you left off before the call of nature came in,” making the bathroom “the best place in the house.” Uh, okay.
But if you are interested in adding more technology to your bathroom, Charmin might be working on something and these conceptual products will eventually move from the CES show floor to a toilet near you in the coming years.
For more information, view the CES 2020 Preview on CNET.
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