Gizmos & Gadgets: A Space Age Shower You Can Buy Today

August 22, 2015 – It is called The Shower of the Future and costs $4,412 U.S. Inspired by NASA but built to work here on Earth, this washing technology from Sweden is a closed loop system that saves 90% on water and 80% on energy. A 5 minute shower uses 5 liters of water. When you compare that the 50 liters used by a conventional shower over 5 minutes you can immediately see how the technology would fit for a NASA mission to a place like Mars where water would be a premium. The energy savings come from recycling the water and retaining its heat. A smartphone app tracks water and energy savings as well as the status of the purification capsules used by the system to ensure the water is not contaminated.

So how does it work?

1. For a 5 minute shower 5 liters of water is introduced into the closed-loop system from intake pipes.
2. The incoming water is checked for purity, heated to the desired temperature by an instant heater and released into the loop for showering. The contamination check will release water considered too impure and replace it with fresh from intake pipes.
3. Shower water stays in the loop where it is collected, recycled, purified, and used again. If you take a 10 minute shower you end up using the same 5 liters plus or minus a liter or two.
4. Post shower, after 2 minutes the water in the loop gets released and is replaced by 5 liters of freshwater.

There are two types of purification capsules – micro capsules and nano capsules. Each is designed to filter and absorb different types of contaminants. Each micro capsule has a life expectancy of up to 30,000 liters of water. That’s equal to 6,000 shower sessions. The nano capsules last up to 100,000 liters or 20,000 shower sessions. If you are not using the smartphone app to monitor the health of the capsules check the shower floor where LED-lights indicate capsule health status. The picture below shows how easy is to change individual capsules.

The Shower of the Future is composed of a stainless steel frame,  glass fiber, plastics, aluminum with safety glass. It’s pretty conventional in terms of size and the floor is rated to withstand weight up to 250 kilograms (approximately 550 pounds). So if you like taking a shower with a significant other while feeling like an astronaut then The Shower of the Future sounds like the gadget for you.

To install the developer, Orbital Systems, suggests using a licensed electrician and plumber. The system is rated for 400 volts, 16 amps and comes with a 24-month warranty.