No more bathroom chores for the Irish public!

Ideal Standard reveals bathroom of the future which will clean itself, provide entertainment and take care of us!

The bathroom of the future will clean itself, provide entertainment and take care of our physical and mental wellbeing, according to new research by Ideal Standard Ireland. The report shows how digital technologies will affect our beauty and grooming rituals and the way in which we manage our health and environment. Invisible technology will enable our bathrooms to adapt to users depending on their needs and demands.

Self Cleaning Bathroom

The Irish public is crying out for self-cleaning bathrooms. Over half (57%) would like their future bathroom to be able to unblock its own plugholes and nearly one in three (63%) said they hoped it would prevent mould or condensation. A third would like the bathroom to replace rolls of toilet paper itself and 29% think it should be able to empty its own bins.

According to Ideal Standard’s latest research, this wish list may become a reality sooner rather than later. Bathroom devices such as taps and dryers are controlled by waving hands and it is thought that the baths of the future will be run by thought control! Robots of today can already interpret voice commands and relay them to a home automation system, telling a washing machine to switch off or a light to turn on so expert believe that users will have to do very little in the bathroom of the future.

Energy Efficient

Apart from wanting to escape bathroom chores, a third of the Irish surveyed do not want to be concerned about energy use in their future bathroom. Experts agree that they won’t have to worry as intuitive technology, which will enable energy and water efficiency, will be part of Irish bathrooms. Users will be able to see the cost of every bath and how many times they’ve flushed the loo via a screen in the bathroom! This, is turn, will affect product design and behavior around water conservation.

A place to switch off – micro-break from technology

With no chores or worries about energy efficiency, the bathroom will offer a safe haven for homeowners and designers are playing on this even more by creating sanctuaries that offer a micro break from technology. They are already thinking of creative ways to engage the senses after days spent in front of a computer screen. Touch, sound, smell and taste will be part of the bathroom experience as haptic technology, synthetic scents and 3D sounds immerse users. On entering the bathroom, homeowners will be able to choose whether to step onto snow, pebbles or grass or they may wish to program the surface of their exfoliating brush or the taste of their toothpaste! This secret refuge should go down well with the Irish public who spend 82 minutes a month using the bathroom as “an escape”.

A place to switch on – a social space and an entertainment hub

But for every bathroom goer who wants to get away from digital distractions, there is one who can’t get enough of technology! Local research has shown that the demand for this is high with the Irish already communicating heavily in the bathroom – a third of those surveyed send text messages, 24 per cent make phone calls and 31 per cent surfing the Internet.  For these digital natives, the bathroom will be used as a social space and entertainment hub. Users will be able to stay connected to their friends and family, multi-media multi- task and share experiences. Mirrors will communicate with the user’s computer and mobile phone, showing messages from friends in the mirror at the same time as monitoring health and fitness levels.

In the future, voice recognition technology will ensure they can continue to communicate while washing and if they’re worried about revealing too much, Skype calls with come with customized augmented reality covers to protect user’s modesty! Social media sites will have bathroom settings to automatically hide people from those who they do not wish to connect with while in the bathroom.

For those who want more still, the bathroom will soon be turned into a place where we can be fully entertained, with WC-based gaming, waterproof electronics for reading, watching or communicating in the bath and Plastronic shower curtains for catching up with the news before heading to work! This should prove popular in Ireland with 44% reading books, newspapers and magazines while in the bathroom.

Beauty & Grooming tutorials & advice

With Irish women already spending an average 175 minutes a month carrying out beauty rituals in the bathroom such as painting nails and dying hair,  it makes sense that the bathroom of the future will make pampering and primping even easier! Interactive mirrors will give make-up and grooming tutorials and show Irish fashionistas how to complete the look with clothes and accessories without the hassle of trying them on.  Augmented tutorials and real time advice on users looks via social networking will help them to get ready to go out, and geo-location link ups will tell them what our friend’s area wearing before they’ve left the house.
Health and Happiness

While the bathroom will help users look good, it will also make sure they are feeling good too. Managing health and wellness in the bathroom will no longer be limited to the scales and medicine cabinet. All elements of the future bathroom- flooring, mirrors, the WC, lighting and medicines themselves will monitor and motivate users to live healthier lifestyles.

In the future, the traditional medicine cabinet will be replaced by a wellness database that will analyse their physical and mental health in minute detail. The WC will be the first to know if users are ill, dehydrated or could improve their diet and the mirror will be like a personal therapist that monitors their moods, linking to the room to dispense the vitamins, minerals and light rays that the body is missing.

The report was commissioned by Ideal Standard and carried out by Future Poll, the research division of The Future Laboratory with local research by Empathy Research and Synovate