I’ve always known the simplehuman line of trash cans to be well designed, but it wasn’t until I saw a demo of their brilliant new Sensor Can that I actually started coveting it. Coveting. A garbage can. I know.

The simplehuman Sensor Can is no mere trash receptacle. No ma’am. An evolution of the simplehuman step can, this thing has a brain. It actually senses and reacts to your behavior–like it opens by itself, closes by itself, and knows when to do both. For example, if you’re peeling potatoes or changing the liner, and the lid is open more than 3 seconds, it switches to a 30-second stay-open mode so it doesn’t close on you–a feature with obvious benefits when you’ve got little kids around.

I have to say, I like the idea of no little hands touching germy trash cans, and no hands caught in garbage can lids.

But hey, even if you do have to touch it, it’s fingerprint-resistant so it’s easy to clean. It also runs on 6 C batteries which should last about a year, although I was told that there’s a way to charge it too.

Keep in mind it is suggested you use it with simplehuman trash liners, which gives me flashbacks of tracking down Diaper Dekor brand diaper pail bags. Fortunately, they’re readily available on Amazon, and the reviews are stellar. Add that to the five year warranty and a great customer service reputation, and I may have a new trash can to come home to this week. –Liz

Find the new Sensor Can or the lower priced, original step can online from simplehuman. You can also find a selection of their products and trash bags from our affiliate