Ruptly
"In a bold move to combat indoor smoking, the Shuibei Jinzuo Building, also known as Gold Plaza in Shenzhen, southern China, has introduced smart toilet doors that turn transparent when cigarette smoke is detected. Footage filmed on Thursday shows cubicle doors made of electrochromic glass installed in a mall restrooms. Under normal conditions they appear frosted, but when built-in smoke sensors detect cigarette smoke, the glass turns clear within seconds, accompanied by an audible alarm that exposes the smoker to anyone on the other side. “It can serve as a very strong deterrent against smoking. Compared to the traditional way of just putting up a 'No Smoking' sign, which makes no real difference and people just ignore and smoke anyway, this system uses technology to automatically and proactively handle the situation,” one of the locals, Mr Luo, commented. It was launched in August last year in response to persistent complaints from cleaning staff regarding indoor smoking according to media reports. A similar system was also implemented in another Shenzhen mall, the Shuibei International Jewellery Trade Centre. The measure received mostly positive feedback from shop owners. However, legal experts have raised concerns about privacy, noting that restroom activities are protected and this monitoring approach may infringe upon those legal protections. The shopping centres pledged to make sure the smoke sensor is only activated by smoke to guarantee customers' privacy rights. Although indoor smoking is not fully banned in China, smoking in indoor public places is strictly prohibited by local regulations in Shenzhen."
Go to News Site