Urinal games console type thing.

[wintonian]

Toilet gaming technology targets urinal boredom

There is not much choice: stare blankly at the wall tiles, focus on shoes with face set in a grimace, or maybe whistle.

When men use a public urinal they are cruelly left in full view, with nothing to do as they answer nature's call.

Until now.

British company Captive Media thinks it has developed a product that fills a gap in the market - a urinal mounted, urine-controlled games console for men.
Leader board Toilet humour: Leader boards appeal to players' competitive streak

It calls it the first "hands-free" video gaming console of its kind.

The sturdy device sits above the normal oval ceramic urinal bowl, opening up a whole new world of entertainment.

The user is presented with three generous targets to aim for in the urinal: stickers in the unit that read "Start", "Left" and "Right".

The console is able to detect where the urine is falling by means of an infra-red device.

And so a rudimentary "joystick" is set up.

Bog Standard

Games on offer include a skiing challenge, and a multiple choice pub quiz.

Once they have finished their business, customers can use their mobile phones to post their scores to Twitter and a live leader board.

The console unit has a 12 inch LCD screen, and sits behind toughened glass. So it can withstand collateral damage and be easily cleaned.

The sensor unit is contactless and does not use a camera, another important design consideration.

Gordon MacSween Director, Captive Media

Windows 7 embedded, it is powered by one of Intel's Atom dual core microprocessors.

Urethra Moment

A similar product has already been launched by Sega in Japan. However, the co-developer of the UK device says his product has some compelling design features.

The equipment has multiple sensors, allowing for a more sophisticated input device.

It uses infrared, rather than microwave sensors, and they are fitted to the external console, rather than added to the urinal bowl itself.

As a result, Captive Media say that 90% of bowls in the UK are "retrofittable".

"You don't have to touch the plumbing", Mr MacSween assures.

Time Gentlemen

Trade paper Adweek calculates that on average men are rooted to the spot for 55 seconds while they relieve themselves - 9 months over the course of their lifetimes.

In the UK this means a billion minutes a year - an ideal opportunity to hit users with targeted advertising in order to relieve them of cash later on.

Bars can use the consoles to push drinks promotions in the venue.
Urinal console The consoles are also a platform for adverts targeted at men

When they buy the product, they are given one quarter of the advertising slots that are available on it and a veto on the external ones that will be sold to third parties.

"It's notoriously difficult for brands to engage a young male audience whilst they're out socialising", argues MacSween, and "Captive Media offers a long 'dwell time'".

"It is allowing brands to really engage in a fun and memorable way", his co-developer Mark Melford adds.

One organisation that has already signed up is Drinkaware, a charity that promotes responsible drinking.

However, it remains to be seen whether other brands will come on board in significant numbers, or will instead be put off at the idea of being associated with the act of urination, however long the dwell time.

This will have an impact on the business model, as advertising forms part of Captive Media's revenue stream.

"In-restroom advertising up until now has usually garnered more attention than it has revenue," says Philip Buxton, an independent digital media consultant.

"To be successful any new medium needs to lure advertising from existing channels and brands are still unwilling to switch their spend away from more serious channels such as TV and online."

Hitting Targets

The machines are already up and running at The Exhibit bar in Balham, south London.

They will help the pub "differentiate" itself from the local competition, owner Drew Weatherhead says.

Customers' experience there will be monitored closely, as Captive Media hopes to roll out its product to more venues.

A pub in Cambridge hosted a "pre-trial launch" for free earlier this year, and generated some interesting findings.

Polling suggests some competitive gamers worked out that by stopping and starting their streams, they could improve their scores.

Another noted side effect was that the toilets became markedly cleaner, as a new premium was set on accuracy.

More good news for women is that Captive Media also want to roll out units for the ladies' toilets.

"There are good anatomical reasons" that women can't use the original device, Mr MacSween says.

But units with quiz games will be placed in similar locations to hand-dryers, in a bit to alleviate boredom during notoriously long queues.

Can't see it taking off somehow, or maybe the female species might feel a bit left out?

 

[STKKK46]

Sounds pretty clever idea to me!

I remember when in Austria once, the toilets in a fair few places had a little goal with a ball attached and you just tried to score as many as you could.

 

[Badger]

Someone online once discovered that sitting backwards on the bog, the cistern becomes a good desk for a laptop.

Oh dear.

(Can't be the first to have thought this, but, won't people just urinate on them? The window was always a good target for those inclined at school. Ugh.)

 

[wintonian]

Someone online once discovered that sitting backwards on the bog, the cistern becomes a good desk for a laptop.

Oh dear.

Surely it must leave some difficulty in getting back off the thing?

 

[Hydro]

How long do they think a bloke ****es for?!

 

[table38]

To be honest, a pub toilet with a TV would be good enough as you can guarantee that if I'm watching the footy in a pub, I'll always miss a goal if I go for a wee.

Did you know a survey showed that 73% of men use their right hand, whilst 27% of men use their left hand. However 92% of men said "why are you watching me p***".

 

[MidnightFlyer]

To be honest, a pub toilet with a TV would be good enough as you can guarantee that if I'm watching the footy in a pub, I'll always miss a goal if I go for a wee.

Did you know a survey showed that 73% of men use their right hand, whilst 27% of men use their left hand. However 92% of men said "why are you watching me p***".

Fleetwood Town FC have TV screens in their toilets I think.

EDIT - Whilst Ebbsfleet United's dates from Victorian times and is open air!

 

[4SRKT]

Is this new game thing a wii?

 

[Hydro]

Is this new game thing a wii?

I've called the taxi, here's your coat.

 

[yorksrob]

I bet it's not a patch on "destroy the cigarette butt" or "chase the pineapple chunks as far as possible" or "go right to the end and see if you're still going by the time it reaches the plug hole".

 

[wintonian]

Do the WEEE regulations apply to any potential future disposal of the equipment?

I've called the taxi, here's your coat.

Is mine there somewhere?

 

[Hydro]

I bet it's not a patch on "destroy the cigarette butt" or "chase the pineapple chunks as far as possible" or "go right to the end and see if you're still going by the time it reaches the plug hole".

A connoisseur, I see.

I doubt many gents will be in the mood for a game by the time the "body at 45 degrees, arm out against wall" position is reached, by nature of about 10 pints.

Followed by (if it's busy) the obligatory "DON'T CROSS THE STREAMS!" Ghostbusters references and childish giggling.

 

[table38]

The urinals in the Wetherspoons in Stalybridge have "modesty" partitions, but these have been tiled at an angle to create an optical illusion. After a few pints, it seems that the partitions are horizontal, which makes the urinal wall appear to tilt away from you...

I'm glad I don't have to mop up in those toilets

 

[Michael.Y]

The urinals in the Wetherspoons in Stalybridge have "modesty" partitions, but these have been tiled at an angle to create an optical illusion. After a few pints, it seems that the partitions are horizontal, which makes the urinal wall appear to tilt away from you..

We have newspaper front and back pages in ours, so you can read insightful comment and analysis on the previous day's football.

Incidentally how's this for psychology.... whilst reading this thread and typing this reply... I suddenly needed to go to the loo. And I mean suddenly - I havn't had anything to drink for about 3 hours....

 

[table38]

There are websites for people like that.

(No, not rude ones, but "benign prostatic hyperplasia" ones )

 

[SteveP29]

To be honest, a pub toilet with a TV would be good enough as you can guarantee that if I'm watching the footy in a pub, I'll always miss a goal if I go for a wee.

Did you know a survey showed that 73% of men use their right hand, whilst 27% of men use their left hand. However 92% of men said "why are you watching me p***".

The Lodge on Grey Street in Newcastle used to have tvs in the toilet so you could continue watching the video the dj was playing. Of course they showed the football, so you wouldn't miss anything.

LYH, also in Newcastle, which used to be the Sports Bar before the Sports bar that is now the Mile Castle was much the same.

Both pubs also had the same size tv's at the wall end of the booths too, interesting if the conversation in a group got boring lol

 

[Michael.Y]

Both pubs also had the same size tv's at the wall end of the booths too, interesting if the conversation in a group got boring lol

They have those in Center Parcs Longleat. However they're usually full of families by the time I get there. Grumble.

To be honest, a pub toilet with a TV would be good enough as you can guarantee that if I'm watching the footy in a pub, I'll always miss a goal if I go for a wee.

Did you know a survey showed that 73% of men use their right hand, whilst 27% of men use their left hand. However 92% of men said "why are you watching me p***".

Or in a stadium. Nipped out for a wizz at 43:00 minutes on the clock to avoid the half-time queues. Wales scored twice. Grumble.

What percentage of men need to use both hands?

 

[Ivo]

Are they serious? Do they honestly believe that people can't cope without some kind of interactive activity for 30 seconds? :roll:

It's a bit like reading the paper on the toilet actually. Sorry if anyone here does it - but, seriously, is it necessary? Cant you just get on with it?

 

[callum112233]

It's a bit like reading the paper on the toilet actually. Sorry if anyone here does it - but, seriously, is it necessary? Cant you just get on with it?

I don't know, some people like to arse about on the toilet

Personally, I just like to get on with it too.

Someone mentioned about pinapple chunks in the urinals. I always try to dissolve them with a string jet of pee, needless to say, it never works

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Someone mentioned about pineapple chunks in the urinals. I always try to dissolve them with a string jet of pee, needless to say, it never works

One for the budding chemists on the forum..... do these chunks react differently to male urine than to the water that is flushed automatically into urinals

 

[Hydro]

It's a bit like reading the paper on the toilet actually. Sorry if anyone here does it - but, seriously, is it necessary?

Yes. Though I tend to have a peruse on the internet on my phone, or leaf through a dog eared copy of Viz. It's a nice bit of quiet time.

 

[SWTCommuter]

The gents in the subway at Bristol Temple Meads always has a current copy of the Times posted above the urinal.

 

[Darandio]

What a ridiculous idea, somewhat taking the p***.

 

[Blindtraveler]

in my local spoons the wifi works in the gents, rather handy if the group of people your with are doing your head in!

 

[Ivo]

The gents in the subway at Bristol Temple Meads always has a current copy of the Times posted above the urinal.

Haven't been down there for ages. I'd completely forgotten! They usually have some half-decent material to be fair, as opposed to The Sun or whatever, but I still don't see the point - unless you dawdle (or are drunk, in which case reading may be a problem), you won't read more than about five lines...