Building designers and maintenance workers face major challenges when it comes to plumbing fixtures in large public buildings. Some patrons may decide not to flush the toilet or urinal after visiting the bathroom. Others may unknowingly leave harmful bacteria or viruses on the knob of the sink or the handle of the toilet. Vandals may decide to stuff paper products into the fixtures, or deliberately leave the faucets running. Even the most conscientious member of the public must make contact with a knob or handle in order to operate the fixture properly.
In order to address this situation, building designers and engineers in the 1980s began to work on fixtures which would not require a human to touch a possibly contaminated handle or knob. Using infrared sensors to detect users, the first 'touchless fixtures' were installed in sports arenas. These touchless fixtures could be set to flush automatically after contact with the infrared beam was broken. Sinks equipped with infrared sensors could send a signal to shut off water to the faucet after a specified time. Patrons could use the toilet and then wash their hands without touching a single handle.
From their earliest use in public sports arenas, touchless fixtures became commonplace in hospitals, schools, prisons and hotels. The infrared technology which drives these fixtures continued to evolve as well. Early touchless fixtures depended on a line-of-sight electronic beam to detect the presence or absence of patrons. Sometimes this resulted in a series of unnecessary flushes as patrons moved in and out of the beam's range. A reflective surface such as a mirror or metal door also affected the fixture's performance. Maintenance workers had to avoid activating the beam while cleaning the fixtures. Modern touchless fixtures are more discriminating, using advanced electronic sensors connected to processing units hidden in closets or walls.
Touchless fixtures are still primarily used in larger public facilities, where the behavior of individual patrons cannot be anticipated. Even if only one percent of the arena's population decides to leave a hot water faucet running or a toilet unflushed, this can prove to be a costly problem. The initial expense of installing touchless fixtures is often recouped by the savings in paper products, water heating and plumbing repairs.
Smaller facilities and private homes, where the behavior of most guests can be monitored, would probably not benefit as much from the technology. There are touchless fixtures available at a consumer level, but these are primarily intended for high-end kitchens and bathrooms. Ultra-modern homes may use the same infrared presence-sensing technology to activate self-opening doors or security systems, however. The idea of not touching an appliance or fixture in order to operate it does have a futuristic appeal, so touchless technology may become much more common in years to come.
