When it was first announced in 2014, the purpose of IllumiBowl's so-called toilet light seemed bizarre, if not a little silly: it's a motion-activated LED light for your toilet bowl. What for? Well, the device rejects the need to turn on the bathroom light during nightly visits to the bathroom, which also prevents temporary blindness.
Though ridiculous in theory, it appears many were able to support the original device. In fact, because enough people bought it, the original makers have curbed the fanfare it received from its first toilet product and used it to come up with another one.
IllumiBowl Returns, This Time With Anti-Germ Powers
Just successfully crowdfunded, the second-generation IllumiBowl toilet light adds anti-germ cleaning into the mix, in addition to the standard LED features the first-gen product became popular for.
The new version sports a diode that utilizes medical-grade technology found in hospitals. IllumiBowl is able to extinguish toilet bacteria via non-ultraviolet light, which is lethal to germs but safe on humans. Its Kickstarter page explains that the device blasts nanometer light waves to rid your toilet of the most common germs.
Of course, IllumiBowl isn't a surefire way of maintaining a completely sterile toilet. Using the toilet gung-ho and letting IllumiBowl take care of everything is not ideal — you'll have to do the normal chore of scrubbing the toilet regularly. But at least it helps set your mind at ease thanks to all the science behind how it kills germs.
"It took two years of constant prototyping, development, lab tests, and refining technology in order to get here but we finally have nailed it!" the company says.
'IllumiBowl: Anti Germ' Features
The new design sports a higher-capacity battery life thanks to the move to AA batteries. The team behind IllumiBowl says that this will make it potentially last up to two times longer than the first product. It also sports a slightly sleeker design, which allows the device to blend with the curves of any toilet.
The IllumiBowl is motion-activated, its LED lights only turn on in the dark, it features three different brightness levels, and it can be set up to eight different colors.
At the time of writing, the Kickstarter campaign has already managed to secure over $37,000 in funding, miles past its original $10,000 fund goal. If all goes according to plan, users will have the second-gen IllumiBowl as early as July.
The starting pledge requires users to shell out $10, which includes a single IllumiBowl: Anti Germ device, available to ship anywhere in the world. Pledging more than $10, specifically in $10 increments, nets you two IllumiBowl devices. For instance, pledge $40 and you get four; pledge $80 and you get eight. There are in fact five backers who pledged $80, and while we don't know who they are, they must have really big houses.
Do you think IllumiBowl's night light and anti-germ killing features will be useful for you? Have you tried the first-gen product? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below if you have any thoughts!
