With quarantine still being on the forefront of everybody’s minds, there’s no reason not to let loose and belt out your favorite song in the comfort of your shower. Continue reading “Morning Tunes – Playlist”
Morning Tunes – Playlist
Kohler’s Touchless Toilet
True to its name, this new technology allows users to flush the toilet without making contact by using an innovative sensor instead of the traditional flush lever.
“Homeowners are of course worried about the hygiene and health of their family members, and the toilet trip lever is an obvious area of hygienic concern. Touchless takes that concern out of the equation, utilizing new technology to provide a touchless way to control the flush.”
You can find this technology in the iconic KOHLER Cimarron toilet and the San Souci one-piece toilet . Simply hold your hand over the tank lid directly above the sensor and the flush will be activated.
The touchless module projects an electromagnetic field through the top of the tank lid that senses your hand, causing the toilet to flush. The module runs on 4 AA batteries so no wiring is required. Batteries will most likely need to be changed out every six months.
A retro-fit kit is also available to convert most newer KOHLER toilets into touchless toilets in a few simple steps. Kohler offers a chart for checking the compatibility of your Kohler toilet. Toilets models over 5 years old were not evaluated and Kohler recommends you check their specification sheet for further information.
The small, black module attaches to the toilet tank with a metal bracket and fits perfectly inside the tank to remain out of sight. The chain from the toilet’s flush system attaches to a rotating arm on the Touchless module, which then acts as the flush actuator, replacing the traditional lever handle of the toilet.
As an option, the homeowner can remove the existing flush lever and replace with a color-matched hole cover. A small, raised adhesive flush emblem is provided for optional placement on the tank lid directly above the Touchless flush kit in order to indicate to users where to motion for the toilet to flush. This may help with unnecessary calls to the bathroom.
I don’t own a cat but I can think of a couple that may find this the best toy ever. What do you think?
Interior Design via Kinect
Unless you live on a remote desert island, you are aware of the impact Microsoft’s Kinect has had on gaming. What you may not be aware of its ability to be a 3-D scanner with third-party apps.
The new possibilities comes from the Microsoft Kinect Fusion research project. It’s called Fusion because the technology fuses 3D data on top of the room mapping and gesture-aware sensors in the $150 Kinect device.
Simple 3-D mapping could open possibilities for homeowners to scan their rooms and send them to Interior Designers to make virtual changes. The technology is already available on Window 8 and its realistic price makes the future of new apps very promising.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzb_RQWrt6I?rel=0&w=480&h=360]
Microsoft is helping to encourage developers to create more apps by sponsoring a 13-week Kinect Accelerator program for young startups in partnership with Techstars this month.
While it may be a while before this hits the interior design community, engineers at companies like Toyota and Nissan are already using it to give consumers a virtual showroom and the ability to tour the inside of new concept cars.
Bloomingdale’s introduced special fitting rooms – called Pods – that can scan your body in 5 seconds and recommend a pair of flattering jeans. The Bodymetrics Pod may soon be a common site in department stores and a home version is sure to revolutionize online shopping.
Who in our industry do you think will use it first? Will a large company like Masco use it as a virtual cabinet display at a Show like KBIS instead of setting up actual vignettes? Would Kohler use it to give you a tour of their new Elevance BubbleMassage rising wall bathtub so you could experience its controls without getting wet? Maybe it will be Miele with an inside look at how a dishwasher cleans with the ability to zoom in and see how the water jets clean away food particles? Or maybe it will be Hafele with an interactive automated lighting and opening system in a Kitchen vignette? I guess only time will tell.