Scientists in Japan are developing a 'human bath' that cleans your body while playing a relaxing video selected for you by artificial intelligence (AI).
This ultrasonic bath releases high-speed water containing ultra-fine air bubbles that remove dirt from the pores.
The design comes from Science - an Osaka-based technology company that manufactures shower heads and bathtubs using this bubble technology.
The product, called 'Project Usoyaro', is expected to be completed by 2024, then debut at Osaka Expo 2025. Its goal is to "wash the mind" as well as the body by creating the most comfortable user experience.
The Usoyaro project was inspired by an egg-shaped ultrasonic bath from Sanyo Electric displayed at the Osaka Pavilion at the Osaka Expo 1970.
Reportedly, the head of the Science Council, Yasuaki Oyama, attended the exhibition when he was 10 years old and was fascinated by the desire to invent.
The Sanyo bath filled with hot water automatically as soon as a person sat down, then 300 massage balls massaged their bodies while supersonic waves dislodged the dirt.
The user then dried, and the entire cycle only took 15 minutes.
However, it did not take off as a commercial product because it was still rare to shower at home at the time.
Sanyo continued to apply this technology in its washing machines, which was the first of its kind in the domestic market.
While that's always been on his mind, according to the Asahi Shimbun, Oyama's drive for shower technology has been more relatable to him personally.
One of his daughters had dermatitis caused by chlorine in tap water, which means she can't wash herself like the others.
About 20 years ago, he asked his friend to develop a shower head that could be loaded with chemicals that destroy chlorine as the water passes.
This greatly helped his daughter, and Oyama wanted to create a bathing regimen that could help others with the same condition.
He learned from PBS that micro-bubbles generated by ultrasound are used to clean electronic components.
After a few years of development, Aoyama devised a washing technology that produced bubbles of only three micrometers in diameter, removing dirt and chlorine from the skin.
In 2007 he founded Science, which sells "Mirable" shower heads for use in homes and hospitals around the world.
Oyama told Osaka TV that his company is currently developing a modern version of the "human washer". This is for the Mirable line, currently known as "Mirabus".
He hired former Sanyo engineers Eiji Yamatani and Manatsu Ueda, as well as researchers from Osaka University.
The current prototype makes the user sit in a chair before being exposed to the water and micro-bubbles that remove dirt from the pores of his skin.
A sensor is also attached to the chair, connected to an electrocardiograph, to measure your heart rate.
Researchers are currently using this to monitor the state of a user's nervous system and see how much they relax while viewing videos on a waterproof screen.
This data will be used to train an AI that will automatically be able to choose the most comfortable content for the shower.
In the future, the team hopes it will be used in hospitals and nursing homes, as well as in homes.