Smart Bathroom: 8 facts about the bathroom of the future

Illustration: Vereinigung Deutsche Sanitärwirtschaft e.V. (VDS)
What does the bathroom of the future look like? Haven’t the technologies for
innovative bathroom concepts already been around for years? At the very latest
since LED and low voltage technology established themselves, linking the
bathroom with smart features is no longer a problem. In the case of intelligent water
control, water and electricity even enter into a symbiosis, and the dream of water
at the push of a button has long been reality.
Nor is regulating the water temperature of shower, bath and basin
fittings with spot-on precision a major challenge any more. But in
contrast to the kitchen, which has been benefiting from this growth market for
a long time now, the bathroom is still at the beginning of its smart evolution. The
conditions are in place, and the first applications and products – from shower
toilets all the way to smart bathroom mirrors – are already on the market. It’s not so
much a vision of the distant future as the agenda for the years ahead: the
bathroom is going smart. Here are eight important
facts and practical tips about the ISH’s key 2021 trend for bathroom planners and architects:
1. The target group isn’t limited to early adopters and nerds any more
The Smart Bathroom is a topic that bathroom planners or architects can
actively introduce into any planning process. The relevance of smart technology
extends to all target groups and project sizes, from single-family homes all
the way to apartment buildings. What are users’ daily bathroom
routines like, and where can smart technology provide support in day-to-day
life? Which safety systems and network standards should be factored in (as a
precaution)? Use-related aspects like hygiene, lighting, personalisation, universal
design and health should be on the checklist too. It’s not about “special extras” for
technology nerds any more, it’s about the standard features of today and
tomorrow. In the next few years, consumers will become increasingly open-minded
towards the concept of smart living.
2. The bathroom is going smart behind the wall too
In future, the increasing technification and synthesis of bathroom
products on both sides of the wall will mean that regular maintenance processes
can be conducted digitally and remotely – a case of technology helping to
optimise processes and save time. The installation of smart analysis
systems behind the wall – for indicating unforeseeable pipe leaks or breaks,
for instance – is just one of the safety-relevant benefits of the Smart
Bathroom.
3. Smart Bathroom: an experience for all the senses
Thanks to smart technology, the bathroom can be programmed to appeal to
all the senses. An innovative lighting control system, a video
wall in the shower area, a shower experience like a monsoon or a light summer
rain, the sounds of nature and tempting fragrances: smart technology can create
an even more intense experience in the bathroom – a video wall can conjure up a
holiday feeling in a matter of seconds.
4. Smart products in the bathroom are a hygiene booster
Touchless functions raise the hygiene standard in the bathroom: toilet
lids that open automatically when the user approaches or contactless taps and
flush plates are already established features. And there are many products –
particularly shower toilets, but also lighting systems for mirrors – that can
be controlled via an app on the smartphone. It’s interesting that hygiene
benefits often come with ecological advantages too; a sensor-controlled
fitting, for instance, saves warm water by immediately switching itself off
when no longer needed. The trend: touchless technologies are
increasingly being used in private bathrooms too.
5. Personalisation: perfecting the daily routine
A Smart Bathroom provides support for users’ daily routines. In certain
areas, that’s already possible today: individually adjustable programs optimise
the morning shower routine for the entire family; the temperature, spray mode,
duration and intensity can be set for each person and accessed at the push of a
button. And as soon as the shower program starts, the window automatically
switches to “milky” so that the neighbours can’t see in. We can
expect more applications for personalised added value in the next few years. Thanks to
smart technology, the bathroom is becoming a perfectly fitting “glove” for each
and every user.
6. Lighting: celebrating the changing times of day
Smart LED lighting systems make the bathroom brighter, more atmospheric
and more convenient: mostly found over the mirror cabinet, they allow users to
set individual lighting programs that use circadian lighting scenarios to
imitate the different colours of natural light over the course of the day. As well as
meeting functional requirements, lighting is therefore increasingly enhancing
the quality of the time spent in the bathroom with emotional lighting scenarios
as well. In addition, there are light sources with motion sensors for all sorts
of different uses – even including a night light for nocturnal trips to the
toilet. Lighting is bringing colour into the bathroom too: LEDs signal functions
like touchless flushing or the orientation light on the shower toilet. And while
laying electric cables in the bathroom used to be taboo, forward-looking
planners need to factor the power supply into their concept even if a shower
toilet won’t be purchased until a (much) later date.
7. Universal design: prolonging independence
Smart technology in the bathroom is a key factor in ensuring its users
remain independent for as long as possible. Although that primarily applies to
older people, barrier-free usage is important for other target groups too, from
young children all the way to people with physical limitations. The longer
the bathroom can be used on a daily basis without assistance, the longer
independent living is possible. Smart technology helps to simplify functions;
even today, voice control systems like Alexa can be used to control individual
bathroom products such as illuminated mirror cabinets. But assistance systems like fall
detectors and alarms for summoning help are a meaningful addition to the bathroom
as well.
8. Health tracking: making life easier for the chronically ill
The first practicable solutions for analysing urine were presented at
the ISH 2019 (Duravit). And scientists are starting to think about an
online connection to the family doctor. The toilet is emerging as a key
product for many of the smart applications we may see in the future. Researchers
have already indicated that the presence of the Covid-19 pathogen in wastewater
treatment plants could permit conclusions about the spread of the virus. China
is demanding anal swab tests from anybody entering the country. The
sophisticated technological features that are already the norm for shower
toilets could serve as the starting point for a new generation of toilets with
health-related functions.
For
the ISH digital 2021, we have visualised the Green Bathroom, the Living Bathroom and the Smart Bathroom in
a special installation. For
a 360-degree tour of the exhibition, click here.
On our YouTube channal you can find the Pop up my Bathroom video of the Smart Bathroom.