Why Touchless Tech is Changing the Way We Live in Our Homes
Is this the end for buttons and switches? Experts share what they think touchless means for our homes and lifestyles
Touchless devices are increasingly popular, and fit particularly well into our pandemic lifestyle, now that we often interact with objects and people from a distance. Here, industry professionals talk about current trends in touchless technology and the rapid changes they’re observing in the way we interact with devices in the home.
“The approach to household chores has changed considerably in recent years,” says Marina Minoli, product manager at Groupe SEB, which is the parent company of small appliance and cookware brands such as Teflon, Moulinex, Krups and Rowenta.
“Due to our increasingly hectic routines, we have less time to spend on these activities. In addition, innovations in the home appliance market have made life easier for consumers, making us think of cleaning the home as a tiring, unavoidable chore.”
As a result, we seek out autonomous appliances more and more.
“Due to our increasingly hectic routines, we have less time to spend on these activities. In addition, innovations in the home appliance market have made life easier for consumers, making us think of cleaning the home as a tiring, unavoidable chore.”
As a result, we seek out autonomous appliances more and more.
Explorer Serie 60 robotic vacuum cleaner with voice control by Rowenta.
Increasingly autonomous appliances
Of course, we delegate work gladly when we can. That’s why robotic vacuum cleaners, for example, are becoming more and more popular. “The robot market has become the second-largest value segment within the vacuum industry and is growing rapidly,” Minoli says.
“Robots are in fact the only devices that can take over a chore completely,” she continues. “The latest-generation models receive commands via voice assistant. This feature offers greater ease of use, not only remotely, but also at home. So, if you spill some coffee on the floor, just call the robot to solve the problem.”
Increasingly autonomous appliances
Of course, we delegate work gladly when we can. That’s why robotic vacuum cleaners, for example, are becoming more and more popular. “The robot market has become the second-largest value segment within the vacuum industry and is growing rapidly,” Minoli says.
“Robots are in fact the only devices that can take over a chore completely,” she continues. “The latest-generation models receive commands via voice assistant. This feature offers greater ease of use, not only remotely, but also at home. So, if you spill some coffee on the floor, just call the robot to solve the problem.”
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The DEN38530XAD dishwasher with AutoDose system by Beko, in which 23 washes-worth of rinse aid and detergent are loaded in one go.
Reducing the domestic workload has always been the goal of household appliances, after all, and remote activation is not the only feature. Another example is a dishwasher in which the rinse aid and detergent are loaded into a large tank that automatically adjusts the dosage for each wash.
Reducing the domestic workload has always been the goal of household appliances, after all, and remote activation is not the only feature. Another example is a dishwasher in which the rinse aid and detergent are loaded into a large tank that automatically adjusts the dosage for each wash.
AEG SenseFry IAE induction hob with Hob2Hood functionality.
No more buttons, not even to turn the extractor fan on and off. New systems allow the hobs to communicate directly with the extractor via an integrated wireless connection. The extractor then activates and adjusts its intensity based on how the hob is being used.
Even lights turn on and off without a switch. While in some cases touchless technology is dictated by practicality, in others it’s a response to the desire to simplify design. Some of the latest lamps, for instance can be turned on and dimmed with a simple movement of the hand picked up by an infrared sensor.
No more buttons, not even to turn the extractor fan on and off. New systems allow the hobs to communicate directly with the extractor via an integrated wireless connection. The extractor then activates and adjusts its intensity based on how the hob is being used.
Even lights turn on and off without a switch. While in some cases touchless technology is dictated by practicality, in others it’s a response to the desire to simplify design. Some of the latest lamps, for instance can be turned on and dimmed with a simple movement of the hand picked up by an infrared sensor.
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Mito lamp from Occhio, which turns on and dims based on data from infrared sensors.
Systems that are reassuring and easy to use
Davide Ceppi, marketing manager at Italian-based Bticino Residential Systems, believes the popularity of remote control stems from our need for simplification and control. “Being able to tell a voice assistant that you’re leaving, so you can be sure all the lights are off and some utilities are deactivated is an advantage in terms of time efficiency and a guarantee of safety,” he says.
“But it’s also a question of, for example, being able to manage the temperature of the house while your hands are busy because you’re cooking,” he adds, “or maybe turning the lights on when you come in with your hands full of shopping bags.”
Systems that are reassuring and easy to use
Davide Ceppi, marketing manager at Italian-based Bticino Residential Systems, believes the popularity of remote control stems from our need for simplification and control. “Being able to tell a voice assistant that you’re leaving, so you can be sure all the lights are off and some utilities are deactivated is an advantage in terms of time efficiency and a guarantee of safety,” he says.
“But it’s also a question of, for example, being able to manage the temperature of the house while your hands are busy because you’re cooking,” he adds, “or maybe turning the lights on when you come in with your hands full of shopping bags.”
Touchless controls also reassure us in terms of hygiene, which has always been crucial in environments such as holiday homes and short-term rental properties.
It helps that, although touchless is a new technology, it can be used intuitively if well designed. As Ceppi says, “It only takes a little practice, perhaps to learn how to formulate the command correctly for the particular device, but otherwise it’s not complicated.”
It helps that, although touchless is a new technology, it can be used intuitively if well designed. As Ceppi says, “It only takes a little practice, perhaps to learn how to formulate the command correctly for the particular device, but otherwise it’s not complicated.”
The future of touchless controls at home
“The world will probably never be completely touchless,” Ceppi says. “Different types of control tend to be inclusive rather than exclusive. This is why I believe that the number of touchless control systems will expand greatly, but they will always be accompanied by other options, such a traditional controls or apps.
“The real revolution does not lie in touchless controls,” Marco Iaccarino of Iaccarino Technologies, asserts, “but in the system as a whole, which uses various pieces of software and hardware to predict which devices we need in which ways and then activates them accordingly.”
The way devices communicate with each other – the so-called internet of things – is set for another leap forwards with the inclusion of machine learning and AI elements.
“The world will probably never be completely touchless,” Ceppi says. “Different types of control tend to be inclusive rather than exclusive. This is why I believe that the number of touchless control systems will expand greatly, but they will always be accompanied by other options, such a traditional controls or apps.
“The real revolution does not lie in touchless controls,” Marco Iaccarino of Iaccarino Technologies, asserts, “but in the system as a whole, which uses various pieces of software and hardware to predict which devices we need in which ways and then activates them accordingly.”
The way devices communicate with each other – the so-called internet of things – is set for another leap forwards with the inclusion of machine learning and AI elements.
Therefore, in the near future, not only will there be no need (or very few needs) to press a button to activate our appliances, but the appliances themselves will know when and how to switch on.
Iaccarino gives an example: “At the end of my workday, I leave the office and my smartphone uses geolocation to tell my home heating system to turn on, so that my home environment will be at the right temperature when I arrive. Comfort and the optimisation of energy consumption are the true drivers of this technology.”
Coming back home from the office is just a typical situation that serves to show us how, without touching – and even (almost) without thinking – our relationship with home devices involves fewer and fewer interactions.
Iaccarino gives an example: “At the end of my workday, I leave the office and my smartphone uses geolocation to tell my home heating system to turn on, so that my home environment will be at the right temperature when I arrive. Comfort and the optimisation of energy consumption are the true drivers of this technology.”
Coming back home from the office is just a typical situation that serves to show us how, without touching – and even (almost) without thinking – our relationship with home devices involves fewer and fewer interactions.
Tell us…
How do you use technology in your home and have you adopted so-called smart devices? Share your experiences in the Comments.
How do you use technology in your home and have you adopted so-called smart devices? Share your experiences in the Comments.
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You enter the house, having deactivated the alarm and unlocked the door with your smartphone. As you walk in, a motion detector turns on the light. You go to the bathroom to wash your hands under sensor taps. You ask your smart speaker to play some music as you head into the kitchen, where you turn on the oven with a quick tap on a screen.
How we interact with our home has changed. Apps on our smartphones have replaced buttons, switches and thermostats.