Tech-Infused Bathrooms

As technology evolves, an increasing number of tech options are available for the bathroom. Mirrors with built-in LED lighting, motion detecting faucets, and even automatic temperature regulators are growing in popularity. As seen in some hotel bathrooms, mirror-integrated touchscreens are also becoming popular among the more tech-savvy population.

An example of this is the new “smart mirror” technology.”  Recently, French company CareOS showcased a smart mirror that lets you “try on” different hairstyles. Facial recognition helps the mirror’s camera know which person in a household is there, while augmented-reality technology overlays your actual image with animation on how you might look.  But with all this new technology “watching” while you’re, well, indisposed, how do you manage the data?

The mirror doesn’t need internet to work, she said. Even if it is connected, all data is stored on a local network. The company says it will abide by Europe’s stronger privacy rules, which took effect in May, regardless of where a customer lives. Customers can choose to share their information with CareOS, but only after they’ve explicitly agreed to how it will be used. “We know we don’t want the whole world to know about what’s going on in the bathroom,” co-founder Chloe Szulzinger said.

CareOS expects hotels and salons to buy the $20,000 Artemis mirror — making it more important that personal data is protected. So the same applies for the businesses that buy and install the mirror. Customers can choose to share some information — such as photos of the hair cut they got last time they visited a salon — but the businesses can’t access anything stored in user profiles unless users specifically allow them to.

Whether one wants to control lighting, view the day’s weather forecast, or simply impress their guests, technological advances are constantly offering new options. Would you hop on this bathroom trend?

—
Photo Credit:  David Pereiras / Shutterstock.com