Pune: With an aim to provide the country with a comfortable and clean toilet solution, city-based 25-year-old Satyajit Mittal has commenced prototyping work on a unique toilet model through his project called SquatEase. The SquatEase toilets are different from any ordinary squat toilet due to the elevation provided at the footrest.
Speaking to Sakal Times, Mittal stated that during his research on toilets, he documented people in squat position and identified that people have a habit of squatting on their toes.
“I started designing toilets when I was in college as I had a course called Special Needs. This was at the time that Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned about the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and development of toilets in India during his Madison Square speech. I realised that this was a huge problem in India and begun research on the same,” he explained.
According to Mittal, during the research phase, he found that there were peculiar design problems with squat toilets. “I started further research by clicking photographs of persons in a squat position from the side angle and also their behaviour patterns. I found that most people squat on their toes with their heels in the air. I spoke to physiotherapy centres and they too validated the problem. Following all this, I designed a new footrest for squat toilets,” he stated.
Mittal said that the SquatEase toilets also have a favourable impact on one’s health. “One starts using squat toilets at a very young age and gets accustomed to a certain way of squatting. The pressure of squatting on the toes eventually affects the knees. With SquatEase, though there will be a lifestyle change, there will be lesser impact on the knees,” he emphasised.
He said that people will accept SquatEase as the use of Water Closet toilets (WC’s) in India is very less. “People, who are used to squatting, will squat even when using a WC. So they will be more accepting of SquatEase. I am looking towards complete penetration of SquatEase in the country.”
He said the project is currently in the prototyping phase and has received the Nidhi Prayas Innovation Grant by Nidhi Prayas Center, Science and Technology Park, Pune, promoted by NSTEDB, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, for the same.
Ease of SquatEase
Received the iF Public Value Student Award 2016 in Germany.
- More people prefer squat toilets but don’t like using it due to cleanliness reasons, said the creator.
- SquatEase has an angle of elevation at the footrest for equal weight distribution; the Centre of Gravity is also thus maintained.
- The toilet is also designed for disability and will help the visually impaired to know where to stop and squat on the toilet.
- This is the first ever uni-directional squat toilet in the world and hence easy to maintain with reduced scope of disturbing the designed system.
