■ Faucets and Fixtures
Touchless technology offers a hygienic alternative for homeowners By Leah Den Hartogh
Hands-free
RESIDENTIAL
FAUCETS
T
he world has long passed the time when a kitchen or bathroom faucet was just a faucet. As with so many things today, faucets can be controlled and connected electronically – and they talk to each other. The kitchen faucet is now connected to the bathroom faucet, which in turn is connected to the shower head, the plumbing system, and so on. All of which can usually be accessed via a smartphone application. “Faucets are all ready – just waiting for a command,” said Garry Scott, vice president of marketing and e-commerce for Moen Canada, Oakville, Ont. The newest technology allows the user to operate the faucet with just their voice using a variety of pre-set commands. It also offers touchless activation via a hands-free wave sensor. For Moen, their U by Moen Smart kitchen faucet technology is connected to a Google Home or Amazon Alexa device. From there, the faucet is also connected to a smartphone. On the application, the user is able to connect it to other products manufactured by the company. The user will be able to determine how much water, at what exact temperature, and
Kohler located their sensor under the neck of the faucet to limit accidental activation.
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Plumbing & HVAC – May/June 2020
www.plumbingandhvac.ca
