We’ve all been there, haven’t we? After enjoying a nice relaxing number two we’ve made that glance over to the loo roll holder to see the tiniest scraps of paper clinging to that cardboard grey tube.
In this situation, our minds instantly go to survival mode. Shall we sacrifice a sock for the cause? Attempt to stealthily waddle to the downstairs bathroom? Or – shamefully – call on a loved one to fetch you a new roll.
Well, if the good folks at US bog roll purveyor Charmin has its way, that dilemma – and poop anxiety in general – will become a thing of the past.
The Charmin RollBot joins the annals (correct spelling) of weird and wonderful CES gadgets can be summoned to bring you a fresh roll whenever disaster strikes, via a quick tap of the smartphone application.
Related: CES 2020 – our full coverage
The small, two-wheeled robot is powered by Bluetooth and simply carries the fresh roll on top. It’s also got a friendly face to “provide emotional support in your moment of need,” Charmin says.
“So you’re on the commode, you look over, oh no, somebody didn’t change the roll. Hello? Nobody home,” Gregg Weaver, an R&D pro at Charmin’s parent company Procter & Gamble, told NPR.
“This builds on our mission to always bring better bathroom experiences to unexpected places and showcases our relentless obsession with helping people ‘Enjoy the Go,'” another spokesperson told CNN.
Naturally, the company isn’t actually planning to sell this invention, although it could potentially be quite useful. Another item in the company’s GoLab that could aid some more odorous bathroom buddies is the SmellSense, which will inform loo visitors when their stench is too hideous to comprehend, and again when it has dissipated and is suitable for another human to enter the premises without a gas mask.
There’s also a VR experience called V.I.Pee, which will help people escape the nastiness of a portapotty by transporting them to another location.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.