Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

Charmin’s new toilet paper robot is just as odd as those bears

Add as a preferred source on Google

Charmin is known for its hilarious commercials, but now the toilet paper company is introducing an entirely new field of bathroom-betterment: Robots. When was the last time you found yourself on the can, only to realize you had no toilet paper available and no one around to bring you any? Thanks to Charmin’s new RollBot, that’s not a problem. On display at CES 2020, RollBot connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and can be summoned with the tap of a button. It makes use of a balancing mechanism that allows it to stay upright and on the move, even if loaded down with one of Charmin’s Forever Rolls.

But the RollBot isn’t the only inventive item Charmin plans to bring to the field. Running out of toilet paper is one thing, but walking into a bathroom only to be laid flat by an odiferous wall is something everyone is familiar with — and that no one enjoys. To combat this, Charmin has introduced the SmellSense. This sensor is calibrated to pick up on carbon dioxide emitted from a toot and will display a “Go” or “No Go” status on the sensor. You can find out whether a bathroom is safe for occupancy without using your nose as the testing device.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Now, RollBot and SmellSense both focus on convenience and ease of use, but what about a tool built to enhance the bathroom experience beyond anything you’ve ever dreamed of? Enter the V.I. Pee. Charmin imagines a world where you never miss out on an experience just because you have to answer the call of nature. The V.I. Pee is described as a “premium porta-potty experience.” You sit down and slide the Oculus Rift S VR Helmet over your head so that you can resume your concert, sporting event, or whatever else you were previously doing before you succumbed to biological impulses.

Recommended Videos

Charmin is demonstrating these products at the Proctor and Gamble LifeLab Booth at CES, but sadly, none of the three will be available for retail sale. On the other hand, Charmin’s creations hint at the future of smart bathrooms. After all, what more do you need than a toilet paper bot?

Follow our live blog for more CES news and announcements.

Patrick Hearn
Former Technology Writer
Patrick has written about tech for more than 15 years and isn't slowing down anytime soon. With previous clients ranging from…
Pet tech is ridiculous, and I hate how badly I want it
Smart feeders, GPS collars, pet cameras, and health trackers all feel like anxiety with Wi-Fi. The annoying part is that some of them might actually help
Computer Hardware, Electronics, Hardware

One of my cats recently caught some kind of bug, which meant a vet visit, blood tests, and about $135 poorer. After all that, it turned out to be a normal fever. Good news for the cat. Slightly humiliating news for the me who spent the next few hours wondering whether a gadget could've helped me panic more efficiently.

That's the problem with pet tech. It sounds ridiculous until life gives you one weird symptom, one missed meal, or one unusually quiet afternoon. There are feeders that portion meals from an app, collars that track escape artists, cameras that let owners spy on naps, and water fountains that monitor drinking habits because apparently even the bowl needed analytics.

Read more
This Google Home update is all about smarter automation
More control, more conditions, more real-world use.
Google Home Nest Automations Featured

Google isn’t just tweaking Google Home this time; instead, it’s quietly turning it into something far more capable. And the focus is clear: give users real control over how their smart homes behave.

What’s new in the Google Home update?

Read more
Bose turns up the volume on home audio with its sleekest and smartest Lifestyle Collection
Bose's newest home audio lineup arrives with bold promises: cinematic sound without the clutter, a decade-overdue soundbar redesign, and a speaker small enough for your bookshelf.
Bost Lifestyle Ultra ecosystem featured image.

Bose has pulled back the curtain on the Lifestyle Collection. It consists of three new premium audio products, built to work individually or as a unified system: Lifestyle Ultra Speaker ($299), Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer ($899), and Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar ($1,099).  

All the products promise high-fidelity sound wrapped in materials that are aesthetic enough to double as home decor. Pre-orders for the products are already open at Bose’s official website, and availability begins May 15. 

Read more