Low-Cost Architecture for an Advanced Smart Shower System Using Internet of Things Platform

TL;DR

This paper presents a low-cost, IoT-enabled smart shower system that conserves water, enhances safety by predicting falls, and allows real-time monitoring, especially beneficial for elderly users.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, cost-effective smart shower architecture integrating sensors and IoT for water efficiency and fall prediction, improving safety and convenience.

Findings

The system effectively predicts accidental falls using sensors.

It optimizes water temperature for energy efficiency.

The prototype is low-cost and easy to integrate.

Abstract

Wastage of water is a critical issue amongst the various global crises. This paper proposes an architecture model for a low-cost, energy efficient SMART Shower system that is ideal for efficient water management and be able to predict reliably any accidental fall in the shower space. The sensors in this prototype can document the surrounding temperature and humidity in real time and thereby circulate the ideal temperature of water for its patron, rather than its reliance on predictive values . Three different scenarios are discussed that can allow reliably predicting any accidental fall in the shower vicinity. Motion sensors, sound sensors and gesture sensors can be used to compliment prediction of possible injuries in the shower. The integration with the Internet of Things (IoT) platform will allow caretakers to monitor the activities in the shower space especially in the case of elderly individuals as there have been reported cases of casualties in the slippery shower space. The proposed proof-of-concept prototype is cost effective and can be incorporated into an existing system for the added precedence of safety and convenience. The intelligent system is conserving water by optimizing its flow temperature and the IoT platform allows real time monitoring for safety.