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FEATURES
But innovative toilets can be so much more than simply
entertainment devices. Innovations include the self-
cleaning toilet the SpinX, which boasts a robotic brush
inside the toilet lid. The owner simply replaces the
existing toilet lid with the SpinX, and bids farewell to one
of the most loathed chores in the home. The actual brush
is installed within the toilet lid cover. When it’s time for
the machine to start cleaning, it will send a soap-sudded
jet stream of water into your toilet bowl and set the brush
in motion. Once it’s done, the brush washes itself with
some more soap and water, then tucks itself back into its
little compartment. You don’t even have to tell the SpinX
when you want it to clean. Thanks to the smart sensor
flushing feature, anytime you send your waste down the
tube, the brush comes out — the smart sensor scans
the toilet’s shape and tells the brush where to scrub.
Another hygienic addition to the common toilet range
are those that come with ultraviolet (UV)-sterilised
seats and bowls. The BeeVi WALDEN 2.0, for instance,
features a UV lamp installed just below the lid to sterilise
or disinfect the toilet bowl, seat, as well as the lid. A
truly innovative feature of the toilet that will impress the
adventurous and horrify our grandmothers, is that this
toilet also features a built-in health screening system
that could be used to analyse urine and other waste
matter and inform users of their current well-being via a
smartphone application.
As demonstrated by these toilets, germs seem to be
the main concern with this new generation of bathroom
technology. Toilet models, such as the Kohler Numi, are
designed to avoid anyone touching the devices in any
other way besides sitting down.
SMART PIPES AND WATER MONITORING TOOLS
Monitoring the state of the pipes in a home, office, or
other space has traditionally been fairly difficult. Leaks
can sometimes do a huge amount of damage and waste
a vast quantity of water before a homeowner detects
them, but that is starting to change. New systems
that use smart technology, hardware, and the latest
Internet-based software are being put in place to gather,
collate, and crunch real-time data on conditions within
the water network of everything from homes to entire
municipalities. The best of these systems can not only
spot a problem, but automatically fix it as well.
A company by the name of Flo Technologies has
developed a system that aims to detect leaks in
plumbing installations as soon as they start.
“A single Flo device is professionally installed on the home’s
main water supply line and from that single device, the flow
rate, temperature, and pressure of the water supply line are
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proactively monitored,” says Flo Technologies chief executive
and co-founder, Gabriel Halimi.
Halimi says this is the most important aspect of the
system and it is what makes Flo different from other
systems on the market.
“Water pressure in your home is like blood pressure in your
body, and just as high blood pressure can cause your body
serious damage, high water pressure over time can cause
micro-leaks and bursts in pipes, fixtures, and appliances. By
monitoring the pressure proactively and alerting the home
owner, Flo can detect vulnerabilities, including leaks as small
as a drop of water a minute,” he says.
“This technology provides benefits to consumers,
insurance companies, and plumbers. For consumers, Flo
can help prevent leaks, lower water bills, and understand
consumption habits. For insurance companies, Flo can
help mitigate the huge amounts paid on water-damage-
related claims each year. Finally, for plumbers, Flo’s
alerts are sent to both the homeowner and the plumber,
creating a closer relationship.”
Fortrezz is a company that focuses specifically on one
aspect of the home plumbing system: smart valves.
The technology uses an app to automate your home’s
plumbing network through a system of sensors,
which are installed in the water system and allow the
homeowner to control the flow of water in the home. The
system allows water valves to be shut off dynamically to
prevent leaks from becoming major water repairs.
Users can use the app to shut off their water from anywhere.
Forget to shut off the water when you leave town and a
neighbour called to let you know there’s a problem? Connect
to the app and close the water valve immediately.
For those with more money, the entire home can be piped
with a system of ‘smart pipes’. These pipes analyse water
pressure, temperature, and other variables along the entire
length of a system, feeding information back to a central
processing unit that uses the data along with artificial
intelligence and a system of automated smart valves to
adjust the flow inside the system and keep pressure in
the pipes even, thereby lowering the chances of bursts or
leaks. When leaks happen, they are quickly detected and
the affected area is automatically isolated.
With a system called BrainPipes, the main water supply
line is in the off position by default and doesn’t open
without a legitimate request for water. Every faucet
and water-using device in a building is equipped with
a water flow detection sensor. When there is a valid
request for water, by flushing a toilet for example, sensor
technology communicates with the main brains of the
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