The Japanese company, known for its heated, self-lowering bidet seats, unveiled toilets with artful representations of the four seasons at the annual Kitchen/Bath Industry Show this month in Atlanta.

After Artemis Racing's Andrew "Bart" Simpson was killed in a capsize on May 9, sailors began wearing body armor, knives, an air tank and breathing tube, self-lowering equipment and underwater locator devices.

Other firsts include the world's first high wall heating electric wok, the adjustable height sandwich press, the active arm citrus press, the world's first juice extractor to juice whole fruit, and in 2010, the Tea Maker, a variable temperature kettle with a self-lowering basket that brews tea automatically.