Self-Driving Car Mobile Toilet

Hyundai Motor Company in South Korea has showcased the concept of an 'autonomous driving toilet', but currently, the large-scale application of self-driving cars as mobile toilets still faces numerous challenges and the risk of improper use.

Hyundai's 'Autonomous Driving Toilet' Concept

Hyundai Motor Company has proposed the innovative idea of an 'autonomous driving toilet', planning to offer a 'toilet ride-hailing service' through a dedicated app similar to ride-hailing services. Using this app, users can summon a self-driving toilet pod named Mobilet equipped with non-contact sanitary facilities. Entry is facilitated by a facial recognition system, ensuring both safety and convenience. In terms of pricing, multiple tiers are set based on the user's level of urgency, ranging from 'can hold it a bit longer' to 'red alert' (completely unbearable), with different prices corresponding to each level. When at the highest priority, the most maneuverable and compact toilet pod will be dispatched at full speed to the scene. It is even suggested that dedicated lanes be established for Mobilet to minimize arrival time and meet users' urgent needs.

Challenges in Practical Application

Currently, autonomous passenger transportation in non-adaptive urban environments remains in the realm of fantasy. Although wheeled robot delivery services have been implemented in cities across multiple countries, including Russia, and self-driving toilet pods share some similarities in principle with delivery robots, the application scenarios for toilet pods are more complex, involving issues of hygiene, safety, privacy, and more. The complexity of the urban environment, such as traffic congestion and poor road conditions, affects the travel and arrival time of self-driving toilet pods, making it difficult to ensure timely service when users are in urgent need.

Risk of Improper Use

There is a viewpoint that self-driving cars may be used as mobile toilets. In managed ride-hailing vehicles, there have been instances where passengers have defecated directly on the seats, and the drivers did not handle it on the spot, making it difficult to locate the passengers afterward. If this were to happen with self-driving cars, due to the lack of real-time supervision, passengers might use the vehicles as temporary restrooms out of urgency or laziness to find a proper toilet. Such improper use would not only affect the experience of subsequent passengers but also increase the cleaning and maintenance costs of the vehicles and disrupt their normal operation.