FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 8 (UPI) -- Fort Lauderdale, Fla., city commissioners have approved plans for a high-tech automated toilet to be tested on a city beach.

The commissioners voted Tuesday in favor of paying $25,259 to an engineering firm to design the site and take care of state permits required for structures close to the ocean, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Friday.

However, the commission has yet to choose a manufacturer for the computerized commode, which is expected to cost between $250,000 and $350,000 for a single-toilet restroom.

The high-tech toilet includes a self-cleaning mechanism, polite greetings and ambient music to sooth users and a system that opens the doors and sets off a siren if a user collapses while doing their business. The door also opens automatically after a designated time period.

Louis Herrera, president of smart-toilet distributor Public Facilities & Services Inc., said the toilet would be a Florida first, but the intelligent commodes are already common in other countries and are currently being used in Atlanta, Seattle, Boston, New York and San Francisco.

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