Kohler, a name you may recognize from the faucet, or commercials about a faucet, is delivering a new line of smart bathroom and kitchen appliances called Kohler Konnect. Because why not?
With the help of Alexa, these appliances can be given various voice commands to perform specific tasks. The line includes a shower, a bathtub, two toilets, a mirror, and a kitchen sink. The platform primarily runs off Microsoft Azure, but some of the new products are also compatible with Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant. In short, you should be able to hook these in with the broader IoT ecosystem of your choosing.
Each product pairs to your phone through the Kohler Konnect app and lets you set preferences across a number of different users.
First off, Kohler has introduced a new mirror called the Verdera Voice Lighted Mirror. It’s said to be the first mirror with Alexa built directly into the unit, and it has its own lights which can be adjusted via voice. Beyond controlling the lights (and a nifty little motion-controlled nightlight), the mirror also has access to the general Alexa portfolio of skills.
Also in the bathroom, Kohler has built the DTV+ Showering System. Like the other Konnect products, the shower is voice activated. (What could go wrong?) In all seriousness, the DTV+ Smart Showering System seems pretty ideal for (wealthy) couples who have different preferences but share a shower. It lets you set the sound, water, steam and lighting in a single command, such as “Start my morning shower.”
In a similar vein, Kohler has developed ‘PerfectFill’ technology for the bathtub, letting users set their intended temperature and simply tell the bathtub to fill with water.
Kohler has introduced two new toilets at CES. The first, and most luxurious, is the Numi intelligent toilet. It comes with a sensor that knows you’re approaching and automatically offers up a foot warmer and heated seat. The Numi also has a bidet, ambient lighting and can play music.
The other toilet, equipped with Touchless Response, lets you wave your hand to flush. It also has an auto-warming seat that can be triggered via voice, and comes with a nightlight.
Then we move into the kitchen with the Sensate faucet, which lets you ask for specific measurements of water. For example, the user could ask for eight ounces of water to be poured into a baby’s bottle during the night shift, as shown in the demo video.
You can check out the applications of these new Kohler products in the promo video below: