Microsoft co-founder turned global philanthropist Bill Gates on Tuesday launched a search for a new toilet better suited for use in developing countries.
"Toilets are extremely important for public health and, when you think of it, even human dignity," Gates said in a statement at thegatesnotes.com.
"The flush toilets we use in the wealthy world are irrelevant, impractical and impossible for 40 percent of the global population, because they often don't have access to water, and sewers, electricity, and sewage treatment systems."
Gates offered a $100,000 prize to the California Institute of Technologyon Tuesday for its work on a self-contained, sun-powered system that recycles water and breaks down human waste into storable energy.
The Microsoft Corp co-founder is looking to change that by sparking new inventions in toilet technology, which he says has not fundamentally changed since the invention of the flush toilet in 1775.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced $3.4 million in new funding on Tuesday for toilet projects being worked on by various organizations, bringing total investment in its "Reinvent the Toilet Challenge" to about $6.5 million.
Watch "Toilet of the Future" Video below:
