The Latest in Bathroom Technology

In the past 10-15 years, we have seen technology evolve at a phenomenal rate. With that, we have had the privilege of seeing futuristic design being added to both old and new homes, but one area of the household that has seemingly lacked in a technological advance is the bathroom. It makes sense seeing that fixtures within the room would be difficult to integrate new technology into, but as it turns out futuristic bathrooms could be a reality for everyday homeowners within the next few years. The reasoning behind that is that the technology already exists, but it is in its early stages of retail and is still extremely expensive for what you get. Let's take a look at some of the innovative bathroom technology that could potentially enhance our bathroom experience some years down the road.

Smart Mirrors

The "Mirror 2.0", as far as I can tell, is the earliest concept design for a smart mirror within the bathroom. This innovative mirror is designed to be the all in one entertainment machine for the bathroom, allowing users to use time in the bathroom to enjoy various activities such as e-books, movies, and music. The Mirror 2.0 was first revealed in 2013, but unfortunately that model mirror has not been brought to the market.

However, more recently, a company called Tech2o has brought a "cyber mirror" to the European market. The low end cyber mirror models retail in the $4,000's, and higher performance models are a higher prices. Not only is the cyber mirror the first real smart mirror to enter the market, it actually runs the Windows 8 operating system. Windows 8, an operating system most optimized for mobile entertainment, allows users to upscale any kind of entertainment they enjoy on their mobile device to a beautiful display that is mounted on your wall in the bathroom. While smart mirrors are an unrealistic buy at this point in time, a few years down the road they may be an affordable solution for bathroom entertainment.

Hand Drying Faucets

One futuristic bathroom fixture that is already retailing in the U.S. is the hand drying faucet. Essentially, this fixture allows users to wash and dry their hands in one place rather than having multiple hand washing components placed around the restroom. Not only does this save hand washers time and energy, it also supposedly more energy efficient by combining what was previously two units into one. While this obviously makes a lot of sense for commercial bathrooms, Dyson is already offering a sleek unit  that would look good in a residential bathroom. The biggest down side to this is the expensive price tag, coming in at just under $2,000.


Bluetooth Shower Head

Bluetooth technology within the shower is already an affordable reality. With a list price of $200, Kohler has come up with a shower head that features a wireless bluetooth speaker. Essentially, you can stream your favorite music and podcasts right from your mobile device to the shower head to enhance your cleansing experience. The wireless bluetooth speaker has a battery life up two 8 hours, and users have reported that the speaker has good sound quality.