Hasta La Ideas

Within the Jewish faith, there is a practice called netilas yedayim shachris, which means “morning handwashing.” The idea is that as one sleeps, spiritual impurities settle upon the body; thus the practice is to wash one’s hands immediately after waking up, using a special cup to pour water over one’s hands. The water is caught by a bowl. Because bathrooms are considered impure, this is typically done next to the bed.

As you can imagine, this presents a UX challenge. The practitioner now needs to carry a bowl filled with water—water now considered impure—to a sink in order to dump it out. Right after waking up, when they’re likely groggy. Spilling the water is a common problem, particularly with children.

Thus Kosher Innovations, a Canada-based company that applies product design to Jewish needs, has invented this Smart Shissel (“shissel” means “bowl”). Once you pour water into it, it drains into a compartment within the bowl and cannot be spilled, even if you turn the bowl upside down:

To drain it, there’s a child-safe plug in the side that you open.

There is one remaining hassle, in that the bowl has to be cleaned, and you cannot directly access the drain compartment. The company recommends the following: “Fill 1/10 of the [included] Smart Shissel cup with bleach and 9/10 water. Pour in during the day and let sit until night, emptying when getting ready for bed, before setting water for the morning.” No one said religious adherence would be easy.