The Boston Globe With new toilet seat, BU and MIT engineers want to nip bathroom mishaps in the bud At Boston University’s Engineering Product Innovation Center, Cleana cofounders Kevin Tang ...

It’s hard to believe that there is something dirtier than a public toilet bowl — but there is, and it’s something that travelers use several times a year.

I'm not usually the biggest germaphobe, but I tend to pay attention to what I touch and how often I wash my hands when I travel. Most of that falls back on my desire to stay healthy while traveling.

Cleana has developed a new kind of toilet seat that raises or lowers itself to avoid unwelcome splashes, or to prevent objects from falling accidentally into the bowl.