Do Not Touch: Why We're Falling in Love With Touchless Tech
Is this the end for buttons and switches? Experts tell us what touchless means for our homes and lifestyles
Roberta del Vaglio
23 June 2021
Touchless devices are increasingly popular, and fit particularly well into our pandemic lifestyle, now that we often interact with objects and people from a safe distance. If touchless devices were initially motivated by a desire for efficiency in smart homes, they have also transformed into hygienic measures to avoid cross-contamination. Industry professionals told us about current trends in touchless technology, and the rapid changes they’re observing in the way we interact with devices in the home.
Voice control and apps instead of switches
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, which are no longer the preserve of public restrooms. You ask your smart speaker to play some music as you head into the kitchen, where you turn on the oven with a tap on a screen.
How we interact with our home has changed. Apps on our smartphones have replaced buttons, switches and thermostats.
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, which are no longer the preserve of public restrooms. You ask your smart speaker to play some music as you head into the kitchen, where you turn on the oven with a tap on a screen.
How we interact with our home has changed. Apps on our smartphones have replaced buttons, switches and thermostats.
“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.
Keen to incorporate smart-home technology into your house or apartment? Find a home-automation specialist near you
As a result, we seek out autonomous appliances more and more.
Keen to incorporate smart-home technology into your house or apartment? Find a home-automation specialist near you
Explorer Serie 60 robotic vacuum cleaner with voice control by Rowenta
Appliances are becoming more autonomous
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,” says Minoli.
“Robots are in fact the only devices that can take over a chore completely. 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.”
Appliances are becoming more autonomous
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,” says Minoli.
“Robots are in fact the only devices that can take over a chore completely. 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.”
The DEN38530XAD dishwasher with AutoDose system by Beko, in which the rinse aid and detergent needed for 23 washes 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 range hood on and off. New systems have the hobs communicate directly with the range hood via an integrated wireless connection. The range hood 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 is a response to the desire to simplify design. Some of the latest lamps 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 range hood on and off. New systems have the hobs communicate directly with the range hood via an integrated wireless connection. The range hood 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 is a response to the desire to simplify design. Some of the latest lamps can be turned on and dimmed with a simple movement of the hand picked up by an infrared sensor.
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 that the popularity of remote control stems from our need for simplification and control. “Being able to tell a voice assistant that you are leaving so you can be sure that all the lights are off, the shutters lowered, and some utilities deactivated is an advantage in terms of time efficiency and a guarantee of safety,” says Ceppi.
“But it is also a question, for example, of being able to manage the temperature of the house while your hands are busy because you are cooking, 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 that the popularity of remote control stems from our need for simplification and control. “Being able to tell a voice assistant that you are leaving so you can be sure that all the lights are off, the shutters lowered, and some utilities deactivated is an advantage in terms of time efficiency and a guarantee of safety,” says Ceppi.
“But it is also a question, for example, of being able to manage the temperature of the house while your hands are busy because you are cooking, 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, though 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 is not complicated”.
Browse more beautifully designed living areas
It helps that, though 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 is not complicated”.
Browse more beautifully designed living areas
The future of touchless controls at home
“The world will probably never be completely touchless. 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, like traditional controls or apps,” says Ceppi.
“The real revolution does not lie, however, in touchless controls 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 activate them accordingly,” says Marco Iaccarino of Iaccarino Technologies, also based in Italy.
The way devices communicate with each other – the so-called internet of things – is set for another leap forward with the inclusion of machine learning and AI elements.
“The world will probably never be completely touchless. 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, like traditional controls or apps,” says Ceppi.
“The real revolution does not lie, however, in touchless controls 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 activate them accordingly,” says Marco Iaccarino of Iaccarino Technologies, also based in Italy.
The way devices communicate with each other – the so-called internet of things – is set for another leap forward 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 turn 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 in fact 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 in fact 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.
Your turn
How do you use technology in your home and have you adopted so-called smart devices? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story and save the images.
More
Interested in other ways our future homes will change? Read up on 7 Ways Spending More Time at Home Has Shaped Design Trends
How do you use technology in your home and have you adopted so-called smart devices? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story and save the images.
More
Interested in other ways our future homes will change? Read up on 7 Ways Spending More Time at Home Has Shaped Design Trends
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@russelsgray Why young children? Young children need to learn, not have the world shaped around their limitations. (The current regulations relating to switch heights etc could be said not to be 'parent friendly' because they put practically everything within reach of small fingers.)
I'm pretty sure there are less 'smart' alternatives for those who struggle with conventional switches. There are many Adaptive Switches etc, often tailored to specific types of disability.
The vast majority of these smart applications solve a 'problem' that doesn't exist whilst potentially creating problems of their own. Someone commented on a heating system that 'knows' what the the weather is doing and adapts accordingly. Properly situated and calibrated thermostats would achieve exactly the same with no 'smart' input.
We are lured into believing in advantages which frequently are illusory. 'Tech' enthusiasts will embrace new technology for its own sake, frequently unquestioningly and 'early adopters' will buy into it without understanding it simply because it is the latest thing. The rest of us would be well advised to take a long hard look at the pros and cons before leaping in.
We all like a gadget to some degree, especially if it is truly helpful, though a whizzy something just because, doesn't make it a good thing. Any gadget for me has to work correctly and long in to the future and not problematic due to wifi connection or doesn't do what it's should.
Producing something that is quality and lasting isn't a given when many companies can't even do the basics correctly.
Choosing carefully is important not to regret it later, though we are all different and like different things. Shouting at a light always seems a strange thing to do !!!
Agree with comments above... Plus needing to make sure that the equipment keeps working, the manufacturer does not "stop supporting" that product or get absorbed into another company... A light switch lasts 50 odd years, will the latest WiFi connected switch/fridge/dishwasher etc last as long...?!