Japan launches an app that'll tell you where the nearest vacant toilet is

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Yvette Tan
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Japan launches an app that'll tell you where the nearest vacant toilet is
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Mandatory Credit: Photo by AP/REX/Shutterstock (8081402c) Jan. 14. 2017, special instructions on how to operate the toilet are shown on the wall at a public toilet in Tokyo Station in Tokyo. Tourism to Japan is booming, with 1 million Americans among the country's more than 20 million annual visitors. But language barriers and cultural differences may seem intimidating to some travelers Travel Tourist in Q&A, Tokyo, Japan - 14 Jan 2017 Credit: AP/REX/Shutterstock

When you gotta go, you gotta go -- until all the cubicles are full and there's a snaking line waiting.

A Japanese company has the perfect solution: an app that shows the nearest vacant toilet.

According to telecommunications giant KDDI, the app will predict if toilets are in use by using sensors installed on stall doors to determine whether they are open or closed.

App users will then receive real-time updates on how many cubicles are available in their area.

"People often waste time by looking around for an available toilet on various floors or by waiting until one becomes available," KDDI spokesman Daisuke Maruo told the Japan Times.

"We believe this service will help people waste less time."

KDDI is analysing how much water is needed to flush toilets

The sensors will also notify an administrator if a toilet stall is occupied for more than 30 minutes, which is meant to warn against potential accidents -- but also means you'll be busted for catching a snooze during work hours.

KDDI says that the service will first be made available across office buildings. If proven successful, it will also be rolled out in places like sports stadiums, train stations and malls.

The company will start selling the service to facility owners from March.

But that's not all. KDDI also wants to start a service that analyses the amount of water needed to flush toilets.

An internet-connected valve will analyse the amount of time the person was in the cubicle and based on that, predict how much water needs to be dispensed.

This is the world we live in.

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Yvette Tan

Yvette is a Viral Content Reporter at Mashable Asia. She was previously reporting for BBC's Singapore bureau and Channel NewsAsia.

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