Hans Maurer had a brilliant idea: why bother with loo paper when you can conveniently clean yourself with a jet of water? However, he would never have dreamed that his invention, the Closomat, would come to dominate the Japanese market as a high-tech variant. Have you ever been to Japan? In any case, you’ve probably heard or read something about the technologically sophisticated Japanese lavatories. Numerous media reports in Western countries have compared their operation to the cockpit of a jumbo jet. Many people have come a cropper because of the numerous buttons on the control panels of these futuristic-looking gadgets. But what is largely unknown is that the idea of combining a lavatory with a bidet function, massage seat, hairdryer, heat pad and stereo system was originally a Swiss invention. A man with a plan It all started with a garden chair, a plastic hose and a standard hairdryer. When 38-year-old Hans Maurer presented his invention after two years of tinkering in his …