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Tell HN: I developed and sold 100 bathroom privacy devices last year

by testmasterflex on 1/2/24, 7:41 PM with 26 comments

Loodio (https://loodio.com) is an automatic music player that provides bathroom privacy for people living in small homes or work in small offices.

Many commented on HN said there was no market it but I managed to sell a hundred units last year with no marketing. It’s not much but it’s my first year in business.

I find not having something to cover your bathroom noises is a mad paradigm we have just accepted as modern people.

HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31181237

I think I could have sold more but my efforts have gone to developing next version.

Launching a battery operated version with better sound in a few months.

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  • by ecesena on 1/3/24, 4:09 AM

    You should totally do a Kickstarter, I can barely imagine what sort of jokes will make it viral!

  • by kojeovo on 1/3/24, 12:21 AM

    My work just has a cheap fm radio in there

  • by giantg2 on 1/3/24, 4:10 PM

    For people interested in soundproofing it's probably best to have a multi-angle approach, like most headphones today. They don't focus just on being louder than other noises but on blocking them too.

    I find it's not so much the small spaces but how shitty the construction is - hollow core doors, large gaps around the door, thinnest possible drywall, etc. Changing to well fit solid core doors would be a big benefit. Then of course there is old noisy bathroom fan to cover most remaining noises.

  • by leros on 1/4/24, 10:22 PM

    What was your process for developing this into a real product? I saw an early post about this being a raspberry pi prototype. I have the ability to prototype something like this, but I have no idea the process for turning it into a physical product, so I'm curious what that was like for you.

  • by tdeck on 1/3/24, 5:49 PM

    Reminds me of the Sound Princess in Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilets_in_Japan#The_Sound_Pri...

  • by gardenhedge on 1/3/24, 5:13 PM

    It's not going to cover loud sounds, but this something I wondered why it didn't exist.

    Definitely needs the battery version. In my country, theres no outlets in the toilets.

  • by eternityforest on 1/2/24, 9:40 PM

    Finally, a privacy technology that's actually interesting to me! I never thought of this before but it seems really nice to have.

  • by dyeje on 1/2/24, 9:45 PM

    I remember you launching this, that’s awesome that you’re seeing traction without any marketing. Great signal.