Study takes aim at unruly urination

Professor Wu has been active in lobbying governments against ground-level urinals, because young men and the elderly tend to make a mess of it.

He has mathematically demonstrated the undesirable effects of unruly aiming (see diagram). This involves calculating the angles at which men aim their stream in different toilet settings.

'Elderly men, due to their high urinating frequency and longer time for ejection (about 52-55 seconds) often feel that urine remains even after the act, so they simply shake [it] more and produce drops onto the floor,' he said.

'Some young men are reluctant to get close to the urinal.'