Splash-free urinals (2025)
Researchers have used physics-based modeling to design “splash-free” urinals, identifying curved shapes like the “Nautilus” that greatly reduce urine droplets hitting users and bathroom floors. Commenters weigh these designs against simpler interventions such as urinal mats and aiming targets, and debate whether improved hygiene and reduced cleaning effort justify redesigning existing fixtures. The work also inspires ideas for deliberately “hostile” anti-urination surfaces in public spaces, raising questions about real-world adoption, user behavior, and the role of seemingly trivial innovations in public health.
Practical splashback experiences & aiming strategies
- Many recount bad splashback, especially with waterless urinals or standing too close.
- Common self-taught fixes: aim for the drain rather than the back wall; find the “sweet spot” where the stream swirls into the hole with minimal spray and sound.
- Urinal domes or protectors over the drain can worsen splash by breaking the stream into many jets.
- Some argue the real solution is simply sitting down, but others find that unrealistic or unhygienic in public restrooms.
Evaluation of new designs (Cornucopia, Nautilus, urine-no)
- Cornucopia reportedly minimizes splash the most, but looks difficult to clean.
- Nautilus is seen as a better compromise between low splashback, cleanability, and user height variation.
- The paper’s “urine-no” anti-urination surface, designed to maximize splash as a deterrent for public urination, is widely noted and appreciated as a clever hostile design.
Existing solutions: mats, traditional designs, targets
- Many praise modern splash-reducing urinal mats with dense rubber “fingers” as highly effective; others report experiences where mats worsened splash and retained odor.
- Confusion exists about correct mat orientation; some speculate about flow and capillary effects when fingers point up vs. down.
- Traditional floor-standing and trough-style urinals are remembered as low-splash but grim, with aging metal versions becoming especially unpleasant.
- Urinal targets (e.g., fly stickers) are cited as significantly improving aim and reducing cleaning costs.
Public restroom hygiene & behavior
- Strong complaints about dirty seats, broken fixtures, puddles on floors, and extreme stall messes, even in high-status workplaces.
- Debate over whether fears of sitting on public seats are rational; many object more to visible urine than to germs per se.
- Partition walls are criticized for prioritizing splash control over privacy, though some users prefer that tradeoff.
Adoption, sustainability, and cost skepticism
- Some see “sustainability” framing as buzzwordy; others link reduced splash to less cleaning water, chemicals, and contamination.
- Several doubt manufacturers or building owners will switch designs without strong economic incentives; retrofitting is seen as unlikely.
- Others argue that small hygiene improvements (like splash-free urinals) can have outsized public health effects, analogous to past sanitation advances.