You've seen self-driving cars—now there's a self-driving toilet

Welcome to the Waymo of the washroom.  

A Chinese company called Yueban recently debuted an AI-driven self-driving toilet during a recent expo in Shanghai. The toilet, which is focused on helping those who are elderly, is designed to help improve bathroom accessibility for those who deal with mobility issues from age, injuries, or other circumstances.  

The toilets are expected to see around ¥28,999 yuan in China or $4,300, according to The Verge. The toilet uses technology that is similar to what is already used in self-driving vacuums. The device can autonomously plan out routes around care facilities and avoid obstacles such as stairs when necessary. The toilet can be summoned by remote or voice command.  

The toilet also has a built-in bidet and self-cleans itself after use. It also has a built-in warm air-drying mechanism to dry after use. Because of its accessible features, the toilet is able to go to those who are less mobile so that caregivers do not have to assist them in going to the bathroom. Plus, it handles most of the cleanup afterwards.   

After the toilet is used, it can go to one of two places. One location is a charging dock where it may also be connected to drainage, which allows for the waste to be disposed of while the power recharges. On the other hand, if there is no drainage system by the charging dock, it will first stop at a normal toilet where an extension arm can pump waste into a traditional toilet to be disposed of before going back to charging.