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Bill Gates Endeavoring to Reinvent the Toilet, Says Nothing About the Fate of the Wheel

by Eric Limer | 3:10 pm, July 20th, 2011

Bill Gates revolutionized the computing world with Windows and now, instead of moving on to the related field of Doors, or Fake Wood Paneling, he is now turning some of his attention to reinventing the toilet. He’ll probably do a good job too; his experience with Microsoft Operating Systems makes him uniquely qualified to deal with crap. Zing. Kidding aside, Gates’ new $42 million Reinventing the Toilet Challenge is actually a social-conscious, altruistic attempt to bring higher levels of sanitation to developing countries, where easily preventable illnesses cost millions of lives each year, mostly those of infants.

As part of this campaign, the Global Development Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is putting out the call to, and coughing up the funding for, eight different research universities that will be trying to develop the “new” toilet. His goals for this new toilet are none-to-simple either. The perfect candidate will be able to take in waste and produce clean water, energy and/or nutrients all without electricity, running water or a sewer system at its disposal(ha!). Oh and also, they need to be easy to install and can’t cost more than $0.05 a day to maintain. Ready? Go! If he can get someone to pull of that kind of miracle, I would really love to see him tackle something like the wheel, or a stable operating system.

I do run Windows, by the way. Check out a punny, slightly gross, but informational promo-video for the project below.


(via Mashable)

  • http://www.thechildhealthsite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=1 Edcedc8

    brown screen?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1157851424 Scott Beeson

    Reminds me of a blog I posted a couple years ago…

    http://cerixus.blogspot.com/2008/02/paradigm-shit.html

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Joseph-Alexander/100001950071237 Joseph Alexander

    well… I’m not sure what to say about this…
    either way gates will be taking shit for it, although i do hope it works out.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_XK2N6F57ZBDLIRI4TB2LSSNCZI Robert

    Innovative? Low Cost? Fascination with fecal matter?  My bet is someone from Japan will win.

  • HUGH JASSE

    will it have anAPP el toilet roll holder!

  • Vyule

    http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=7572  

    Animal
    and human excreta are essential components that keep agriculture fertile in
    many countries of the world, as they were in the past and may be for us in the
    future, as fossil-fuel fertilisers have a diminishing future. The main thing is to eliminate carrying disease.
    Pee with its valuable phosphorus and nitrogen on compost, and direct action for growing food.does not carry disease, unlike sewage
    solids, and can be dealt with separately.
    The West has relied too much on water, and on getting rid of sewage, instead of using it as part of the natural food cycle.
    The future toilet invention must not make those mistakes.

  • Denverpipes2002

    I suggest you all read the new book ABUNDANCE by Peter Diamandis to find out what is really going on, not only with toilets but lots of other unbelievable solutions to challenges that will definately change the world for the better.  I’ve been a Master Plumber for over 40 years, and this project is way overdue!  Bill & Melinda have my wholehearted support!


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