Kitchen and bath faucet manufacturer Moen has unveiled a new Smart Faucet that offers voice-activation technology to help home owners complete tasks in the kitchen.
As a result, a homeowner can walk into a kitchen with arms full of groceries and tell the faucet to provide a set amount and temperature of water.
“Whether you’re a mom juggling packed lunches while trying to get your morning coffee, a baker requiring precise ingredient volumes for recipes, or a multitasker that sometimes needs another set of hands, extra assistance in the kitchen can go a long way,” says Michael Poloha, group manager, IoT, Moen. “Our team is dedicated to developing intelligent innovations that thoughtfully integrate technology to enhance people’s everyday encounters with water, and the new U by Moen Smart Faucet delivers the connectivity and customization our consumers desire.”
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The company says the U by Moen Smart Faucet offers convenience, precision, and intuitive voice-activation technology and comes in a variety of style options to suit almost any design aesthetic. Homeowners are able to control the faucet in one of four ways:
- Voice control that allows users to start and stop water flow as well as perform specific tasks on command through their digital voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant.
- A Wave Sensor positioned at the front of the faucet that turns water on or off with a simple hand movement.
- The handle on the side of the faucet that offers manual operation, letting users adjust flow and temperature.
- Through the smartphone app, which allows users to set unlimited personalized presets or start and stop water delivery with the push of a button.
The company says the U by Moen Smart Faucet is the only voice-activated kitchen faucet on the commercial market to offer voice- and hands-free activation regardless of the faucet’s manual handle position. “Voice service and hands-free control will start or stop the water flow, dispensing the desired temperature and amount, whether the faucet handle is in the open or closed position, and despite manual temperature selection with the handle,” the company says.
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To activate the faucet, users simply ask Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant to turn the water on or off, as well as dispense precise measurements and temperatures. Once they have created personalized presets in the Moen app, homeowners only need to state the name of the preset within the command. Voice-activation capabilities include metered dispensing in fractional metric and non-metric measurements from one tablespoon up to 15 gallons; exact and generic temperature commands (such as 105 degrees or cold water); combined metered and temperature requests; and user-customized presets created within the Moen app (such as baby bottle or dog bowl).
One of the unique things about the faucet, the company explains, is that the faucet comes in a wide variety of styles. “While it’s not uncommon for smart home appliances have a modern-leaning aesthetic, the U by Moen technology is available on an unprecedented range of kitchen faucet designs and finishes to suit consumers’ varying styles and budgets,” the brand says in a release.
Modern styles include Align pulldown; Nio pulldown; Sleek pulldown; and STō pulldown.
Transitional units are Arbor pulldown; Essie pulldown; and Paterson pulldown.
Traditional offerings are Brantford pulldown and Weymouth pulldown.
The faucet runs with the Moen app, which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
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