I was at the Portland Convention Center recently and was amazed that while most of the toilets automatically flushed, the sinks with automatic faucets and soap dispensers were nearly worthless. Out of six sinks, there were two that actually dispensed water, leaving everyone to do the little hand-in-front-of-the-faucet dance until they found it. And, to top it off, none of them dispensed soap and there was no analog way to get the soap. That makes for a messy doorknob.
I think that while wi-fi access is nearly ubiquitous and works quite well, we’re still not there with automatic faucet and soap dispenser technology. Let’s let the folks in the research labs work on it a little bit more before we install them in any more public places.
Posted in Everyday Life, Toilets
Cat May 5, 2007, 10:09 pm
The ones in the women’s restroom worked very well. ^Must be a guy thing.^
Paul May 6, 2007, 3:41 am
Agreed.
Worse is the automatic faucet and automatic soap dispenser idea. Hate this. What if I want to use just a little soap? Or too much? Pfft.
I’ve encountered way too many automatic faucets that turn off too early and can’t be turned back on once off. Plus not being able to control the temperature is bad, particularly when all one gets is cold water.
It’s time to get rid of these and focus on foam soap.
Greg May 7, 2007, 3:46 pm
I think there might be a reason for the poor operation. Many of these automatic faucets are battery operated. As the batteries lose power, the operation suffers. The automatic faucets are also available with an A/C adapter. Plug these faucets in and I’m sure the operation would be better. Plus, think of all the batteries that would be saved.
Paul May 8, 2007, 2:35 am
Battery operated? Who are the geniuses who came up with that? Thanks for the inside info, Greg.