The sit-down shower

Does this give you the creeps too? The Genkiyoku shower from Panasonic uses half the water of traditional showers. But personally, it gave me the creeps. Plus, it does make some hard-to-reach spots more difficult to manage.

But I guess if you had a wall in front of it, rather than a sliding glass door, you might feel less violated. The picture was taken at the company's Eco and UD house, an ecologically friendly home that it says can be commercially viable by 2010.

(Photo: Michael Kanellos/CNET Networks)

[digitalmonkey]

Universal design

Being able to shower while sitting down is a step in the right direction for universal design, (accessible for everyone) I agree that a sliding door would make the seat more accessible to those who are disabled. I think the armrests should be optional. Having a hand held is good, having an over head option, with a release (to test the water) is manditory so you can get the proper temp before you commit to getting wet.

[toodollainc]

good for the disabled - like me

I'm a parapalegic who can see the benefits of this kind of shower when I'm older. Right now it's easy for me to use a hand shower, but as I get older and subject to shoulder injuries, I will need a shower like this. Of course, it will need some tweaking, but it's a step in the right direction.