We want everything in the SeaPod to work as seamlessly and automatically as possible while also delivering a sleek and minimalistic appearance throughout the home. So when it came to the bathroom sink, it simply made sense to have it be automatic. While the idea was simple, making it happen was a bit more complicated.
This automatic sink and soap dispenser required a bit of engineering to bring to life. Luckily for us, Omer is just the man for the job. He has designed a system with controllers and sensors that work together to bring a seamless and simple experience to the user.
Starting with the sink controller, this is where most of the magic happens. The controller utilizes power-over-ethernet or POE for short. This basically means that the electricity required to power the control board is delivered through the same ethernet cable that we use for data. This not only cuts down on how many cables we need, but it also is also very efficient power-wise since the required amount of electricity is so low.
The controller is connected to the IR sensors which are what see when you place your hands beneath the faucet. When the IR sensor tells the controller that your hand is there, the controller relays the message to turn on the pump and begin flowing water. When you remove your hand, the same process happens in reverse and turns off the pump.
The controller is also connected to the temperature sensors that read the temperature of the water just before it comes out of the faucet. Since our SeaPod app allows the user to set an exact temperature, we need to monitor the water temperature so that the controller can tell the hot water mixer to raise or lower the temperature so that it will be exactly where you set it.
Additionally, the sink controller is connected to the soap dispenser which uses an IR sensor in a similar way to the sink. When it sees your hand there, the IR sensor sends the message to the controller which tells the soap dispenser to dispense the set amount of soap. All of the connections with the sink controller utilize waterproof connections to keep everything properly sealed off from not only water in the bathroom but steam from the shower.
The pump that supplies the water is connected to the pump controller and a variable frequency drive. The pump controller communicates with the sink controller and turns on the pump when the message comes from the sink. The variable frequency drive is what regulates the flow of water through the sink. This is what will control how fast the pump is pumping, thus raising or lowering the water pressure that is coming out of the faucet.
All of these systems work together to bring you a seamless and automatic sink experience. Using the SeaPod home automation app, you can control the water temperature and pressure as well as manually turn on the sink or dispense soap. If you need the sink to run for a while without having your hand under the faucet, you can simply turn it on and off in the app, and the same works for the soap dispenser.
We want the SeaPod to not simply be a home, but to be an experience. By automating these small tasks we hope to make life operate more seamlessly and more simply so that you can spend more time relaxing and enjoying life!
