Daiwa House Industry Co. will start selling next month a toilet-assistance system for bedridden people and has taken a stake in the nursing care equipment maker that developed it, according to Chairman Takeo Higuchi.
The device uses sensors in a diaperlike covering to detect urine and bowel movements, then vacuums the waste into a tank at the bedside. The person is cleaned with a warm spray of water and dried with warm air.
The waste in the tank can be flushed down a toilet with almost no detectable odor, according to the company.
Dubbed the Minelet Sawayaka, the device will go on sale Jan. 7 to nursing care equipment rental companies for around ¥598,000.
The system was developed by NWIC, a company based in Sendai. Daiwa House, a home builder, has bought a roughly 14 percent interest for ¥100 million to become its top shareholder.