It is impossible to avoid taking a shower, no matter what self-styled experts say that at times it is useless, yet the problem of saving water exists and is serious. For this we must pay attention to our daily habits: second the US Environmental Protection Agency, the water consumed in a single day in New York and New Jersey would be enough to meet their water needs for an entire year.
Globally, residential use is responsible for the 10% of the total water consumption and it's increased by 600% in the last 50 years. Hence the urgency of finding an accessible solution for homes.
Starting with the shower
IKEA is a global home improvement retailer with a wide selection of bathroom accessories. It was almost inevitable that, intercepting the need for water saving, he would start looking for a product to sell to combine profit and sustainability. He has been developing it for two years together with a Danish company called Flow Loop: it is a system to be mounted in the shower enclosure we have at home.
With this contraption, the Swedish company says, it will be possible to reduce water consumption up to 80% and energy consumption up to 70% compared to a normal shower.
“Our team has made great progress together with Flow Loop during our collaboration over the past two years. Our journey aims to make this 'shower of the future' convenient and accessible for as many customers as possible,” he says Robert carleke, Innovation Ventures Manager at IKEA Sweden.
How does the system work?
The Swedish giant didn't share much about how this technology works. He preferred to underline the tortuous processing phases, and the tests carried out in over 4000 Swedish and Danish houses.
On the Flow Loop website, however, there is some more detail: it would be a “circular” shower, which filters and purifies the water with a UV light before letting it out again. A device that would leave the experience of washing intact, but with a significant saving of water and energy.
Could artificial intelligence be missing?
Some nice commentators on Futuroprossimo's social channels wonder why they are putting this everywhere artificial intelligence.
There is no doubt that it is a bit of the magic word, and someone marches on marketing. It is equally true that the use of him is really becoming massive. In the case of this “shower of the future”, for example, the inevitable algorithm is used to monitor one's savings and even to adjust the flow rate to use habits.
Maybe. IKEA confirms that the device is still under development: let's wait and see if it is a clear innovation, or there is still some murkyness.
