Is This the Bathroom of the Future?
In Tokyo, Panasonic have created an “Eco Ideas House”.
They use this to show case ideas for saving energy, water and CO2 emissions.
Amongst the ideas is energy saving lighting by allowing natural light in from the ceiling and the walls during the day, and the strategic placement, of small LED lights. These LED lights brighten the areas needed instead of needlessly lighting a whole room.
It also features a washing machine that saves water. The washer tub is tilted in order to use less water to wash. This washer/dryer is supposedly capable of drying quicker and more efficiently.
The utilities used in the bathroom are made from an organic glass material.
Nice to the touch, this material is very scratch resistant and therefore needs cleaning less often. The material can stay clean for long periods of time, reducing the use of water.
The shower is of a design which requires you to sit whilst showering.
The “arms” are designed to spray water evenly over the whole body at the same time. It does not however, spray the head or hair, for which there is a separate showerhead.
It is said that this shower uses half the water of a conventional shower.
Temperature is controlled by a built in “wind tower”. This tower draws in air from underneath the floor. The air is warm in winter and cold in the summer. It distributes the air by use of robotics. Motion detectors, detect movement in the room and directs the air currents in the direction of the movements. It also turns itself off if a room is unoccupied.
Energy is of course supplied by solar panels on the roof.
It also features a household battery storage unit.
If this is an example of how houses will look in the future, I guess we will have to get used to taking showers sitting down.
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