A Brentwood startup is using high-tech features to change the way public bathrooms work and they’ve already set up a pilot run on the Route 1 corridor.

Throne Labs makes a portable, solar-powered bathroom with flushable toilets, fresh water for washing your hands and robust ventilation systems. To enter, you type in your cell phone number and respond to a text.

The tech aspect helps the company keep track of when the bathroom needs to be cleaned — about once every 30 uses — or when it needs to have water tanks refilled — about once every 100 uses.

Sensors can also track if someone has been in the bathroom for too long, and people who don’t use the bathroom properly can have their phone number banned.

“You don’t have to pay someone to sit there all the time, but you still get the benefit of the accountability that creates, and the remote ability to say, ‘Hey, something needs attention, something’s not right,’” COO Jessica Heinzelman said.

Earlier this month, the city of Mount Rainier installed a Throne bathroom just off the roundabout on Rhode Island Avenue at the Perry Street Park and Ride Lot for use by people walking by and waiting for the bus.

Throne is looking to add 25 to 50 more bathrooms around the D.C. area over the next year, including new versions with a skylight and changing table.

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