Paul van Dinther
Looks very complex, and assumes people will actually sit on the toilet. That is a typical western toilet style.
It looks like a great invention if it works but my first thought is, get a production going and a money flow. In other words start selling to yachts and holiday homes and homes where there is a septic tank that struggles.
Lots of potential there in a rich western market. Make money first, then try to adapt it and send it to poor countries. This way is bound to fail.
Rui
I was expecting a industrial design based on the old (as in milenia old) dry toilet. This thing compared is heavy on the maintenance side, usually a big no no in the less infrastructure areas.. Africa.
Toffe Carling
Like the idea it self, but the ones behind it do not understand how Africa or its people work.
(Says me who have lived there for over 2 years and still are very active there.)
KeithFarnish
Bringing a high-tech "solution" into a low-tech environment is a recipe for disaster: not only is it NOT zero-waste - look at the infrastructure needed to make it, and to produce the nano-coating - it creates a dependency on technology, rather than encouraging the use of perfectly hygienic methods that have existed for millennia, such as dry-composting, urine diversion and long drops.

As for publicising this piece of technology as a way of preventing rape, words fail me! The way you prevent women from getting raped, is by stopping men from raping people, not creating a synthetic bubble of fear. Disgraceful.
DomainRider
This looks complicated and expensive. How long will it work before needing maintenance or parts replacement - how long before the nano membranes clog or fail?
Daishi
@Toffe Carling This is the case with almost every "oh, let's help the people of africa" invention I tend to see. They are usually well meaning (I think) but tend to do poorly.
Mass market viable solutions tend to be what usually ends up winning the day but people almost never seem to learn this and constantly create one-off solutions for Africa that continually fail.
Trevor Wrn
Better to adapt to industrialized countries toilets are so wasteful of clean water and costly sewage infrastructure etc
Powell Gammill
Sad to see Gate's continue to waste money on this insane 3rd world solution. Inexpensive composting toilets that actually work well producing safe compost and nitrogen sources for agriculture are already operating and sure could have used additional funding if the Gate's actually gave a damned. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXuOTahHj9w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOOUxa4_K1g
macssam
how can you forget the most important aspect of this business I like to wash my butt and I never use toilet paper this system is useless
cloa513
The basic operation of this toilet is actually extremely low tech- could have existed about 4000 BC and its supply is designed to be a whole package of maintenance and supply. All the inhabitants have to know they excrete into a toilet. Those alternative are high maintenance and moderate tech doomed to failure with the general population involved.