Final Project
Research & ideation phase
Already before Fablab 2025 began I knew what I was interested in creating for my final project.
Over countless dinners I have explained to friends my theory on how reducing small frictions between men and women across the world would have a big impact. The toilet is a shared space, the work should be split, no? And yet, at the same time, I know how poorly men aim when doing their business. I also know how infrequently expectations actually align with reality, and how both sexes have different expectations when it comes to the toilet seat.
It's an ideological connundrum that spans hundreds of years.
My proposed solution:
insert photos of original prototype failures — highlighting my need for fablab
Motion sensor
This was the part that I felt the most confident about: the motion sensor. I plan to make a 3D printed housing that will house the sensor and can communicate with the toilet bowl lifter. It will attach to the under side of the toilet bowl with a suction cup.
Toilet seat lifter
I started by asking AI a bunch of questions to try and figure out what kind of motors / hinges / levers I could use. I use AI because I don’t know what I’m looking for and I find that it’s good at, at least, pointing me in the right direction.
After reading AI’s suggestions, I decided to look up linear actuators. My linear actuator idea would probably need to be placed on the ground, which I'm not sure how I feel about, but I also want to minimize contact with the dirtier parts of the toilet (ie. inside the bowl) -- so, clamping the actuator onto the toilet might not be optimal. Alas, there is still much to consider.
Along the way I found a video about motors + servos and a mechanical toilet seat lifter which gave me an idea of how my liner actuator design would connect to the toilet seat.
But, I wasn't done yet! My research would continue after a short bathroom break, I thought. My bathroom break turned into a research session and a new idea for how to lift the toilet seat was born.
Again, I used AI to direct me towards what kind of system I would need. To give you an idea of how clueless I was, this was my prompt to AI "are there any clock hand like mechanisms that have enough force that you cant push it back -- so sort of a one way".
The list I received from AI included the ratchet and pawl system.
From there I needed to figure out if there were any ratchet and pawl systems that could also go back the other way:
- Changeable ratchet 3d print
- Two way ratchet system
- Circular ratchet mechanism
Stepper motors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7spK_BkMJys
Lift with ratchet system > don’t go up too far, to avoid it getting stuck (so that gravity can pull it back down) > trigger release (falls back down) > slow landing ‘ikea’ system
A few design question / parameters to consider
- What to do about soft close hinges…?
- Does the lifting mechanism attach to the toilet or the floor?
Extra resources
- Linear actuator kit
- Toilet seat lifter project - Kochi
- Toilet rolls (I like the idea of magnets, somehow)
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/E--gj_31NUE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A78AyRVbQ8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzuPiSFhYRg&t=28s https://seeed-studio.github.io/SenseCraft-Web-Toolkit/#/setup/process
Self lifting toilet seat https://www.youtube.com/@self_lifting/videos
lead screw actuator
- laser cut a toilet seat to test the early designs on
- make a simple bench to screw the hinges into
ADJUSTABLE SPRING HINGE
flush seat goes down https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4Di1477r6s https://www.flushdowntoiletseat.com/
BRIDGES! draw bridges
Folding structure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1yrgO_1Y5Y https://mechanicaldesign101.com/2016/07/26/want-a-patent-try-a-six-bar-linkage/
fishing line
Torque (τ) = Force (F) × Distance (d)
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20120246812A1/en
symmetry constraint
