Japan's appliances of the future Video

Japan's appliances of the future Video Transcript

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>> A lot of people come to Japan for the latest in computers and cameras, but personally I like the appliances. Japanese apartments are relatively small, and living in Tokyo can be hectic. There's always been a huge emphasis on interesting, modular appliances that can sort of enhance the quality of life inside your house. So on a recent trip to Tokyo I visited the Technology Center of National. I took my camera along and here's what I saw.

>> The body mass index machine has you sit there and electric pulses pass through your body. Very tiny electric pulses. It then reads your skeletal mass, your fat, everything about you. These compact washing drying machines save several liters of water a year. Now, on the left he's showing what it looks like without dishes, the jetting action. On the right is where the dishes are kept. Detergent is misted on to the dishes. Hydrogen fuel cell systems. National's been selling these for a few years. And the Japanese government will give you a subsidy if you buy one. They're not huge yet, but you know, hydrogen's not the easiest thing to find either. This drawer slides out of the fridge. Top that one, Batman. The group actually loved this one on the tour. In fact, everyone stops by to admire it. What's so great about this sink? It's got a layer inside the metal of the sink that actually dampens noise. So if it's dripping, you won't hear it. Here. Test it out. That's the bottom of the sink I'm tapping, that's the side. Bottom, side. The bottom has that layer and you hear less. A Jacuzzi tub with micro bubbles. It stays warmer longer than most other tubs. National actually brings architects and builders through this area to check things out and design their homes. This is kind of fun. When you want to plan your room you move the titles. Like moving the ones with the wood grain give you a different image of what the wood would look like. You can change the color of the wood as well as the size of the TVs. Give you a [Inaudible] version of what you're going to have in the future. The company makes these appliances, but it also builds complete homes and condominiums. This is the most amazing toilet of all time. And soon music will begin to play. Panasonic pre-loads the music, but you can also plug in a CD player on the side. Couple more things about the toilet. It's also self-cleaning, and the lid comes open when you pass a sensor coming in the door. So it greets you and takes care of everything. The control unit for the toilet, for all your needs. And this is the [Inaudible] system, coming soon from National. The bed can move in different shapes from flat to curve and things like that. There are message fingers inside there to massage you. And sensors also detect when you move and can start massaging different parts of your body. Now the wall will be a big -- there's a large flat-screen TV. When you go to bed at night begins to play pleasing images. Fields, forests, birds, things like that. And the lights slowly dim. It takes about 30 minutes for the lights to completely dim. But when they do, you should be out. Actually, dimming the lights that way helps melatonin production improve naturally. In day time, it's a 30 minute process as the lights slowly go up to daylight and images begin to feed in on the screen. And you might be able to hear this. There's the light sound of trickling water behind me. Another soothing technology. The whole room's going to cost about $20,000 for a complete retrofit, but it's definitely well worth it. And again, you can control things from right here. I'm Mike Cannalles for news.com.