But here's one that deserves a special mention for offering a solution to arguably the biggest first-world problem of them all: Men leaving the toilet seat up.

According to its Kickstarter listing, the Main Drain is "an adjustable, lightweight urinal that attaches directly to the bowl of your toilet; it solves all your problems about the traditional toilet set-up, but without having the need to install a wall-mounted urinal".

The Main Drain is the brainchild of Daniel Garvin, an entrepreneur from Utah who came up with the idea when he was 16. Garvin is seeking $50000 to get his gadget into production.

Garvin's sales pitch is nothing if not enthusiastic: "Ladies, how many times have you had to put the toilet seat down after a guy uses it?

"How many times have you sat on the toilet seat and experienced an unexpected damp feeling? How many times have you had to clean the top of the bowl, behind the toilet seat, the floor, and surrounding areas due to a poor aim job? These questions are solved with the Main Drain."

The gadget, which resembles an Ikea desk lamp (adjustable for the optimum height/angle), also comes with a built-in motion-activated LED light for those middle-of-the-night bathroom visits.

At the time of writing, more than 80 backers have signed up.

 

Source: Times Live