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Kohler's fog-emitting smart 'Stillness Bath' is yours for $8,000
The company will also release a hands-free faucet and home energy storage system this year.
Kohler's smart home upgrades include a mood-setting bath
Kohler has grown its smart home line to include a mood-setting bath, a lower-cost smart toilet and a hands-free faucet.
Kohler VibrAcoustic baths bombard your senses with light and sound to drown out stress
Bathtime isn't just for luxuriating in champs and bubbles as part of an MTV-guided tour of your Manhattan high-rise (we're looking at you Ms. Carey). It's also for taking some well-deserved time off to undo pent up stress and get yourself clean with the help of an audiovisual assault. Which is why Kohler's rolling out a new line of its Underscore baths with VibrAcoustic tech that incorporates lighting, sound and vibrations to help "bathers... drift into deep relaxation" -- just not so deep they pass out and drown. The systems range in price from $1,055 to $4,634, with the Chromotherapy feature reserved for the higher end models, and come bundled with a touchscreen unit that can connect to mobile devices for audio streaming. Of course, there are also four pre-loaded tracks composed by a sound therapy specialist specifically calibrated to sync your breathing up with preset beat and chord patterns and get you to calm down. It's a whole new world of hygiene just waiting for you to take the plunge. So, if you've got money to burn and New Age-y predilections, this is your next bathtub.
Water Games Technologies Red Diamond bath tub features HDTVs, cellular control
We're no strangers to out-there bathroom fixtures, but the $47,000 Red Diamond bathtub from Water Games Technologies is probably a new low high in powder room decadence. The screaming-red tub features multicolor lighting, a computer-controlled heating system that maintains your desired water temperature, an automatic disinfection system and built-in massager. Of course, that's what any peasant's tub offers -- the real action is in the two retractable HDTVs, Swarovski-encrusted champagne holder, and built-in GSM module that lets you call your bathtub and get things ready for some splashy time from afar. No word on availability, but if you're in the market we're certain your butler can figure it out for you.[Via Born Rich]
Kohler, Polk team up on SoundTile in-shower speakers
It appears that the art of singing in the shower is full comeback mode, as not only do you have the option of picking up a speaker-infused shower or bathtub, but now you can retrofit your current one with SoundTiles. Co-developed by Kohler and Polk Audio, these music makers are designed to "perfectly match the shape, profile and finish of the WaterTile bodysprays and showerheads," but we don't see any reason why a slimmed down, waterproof speaker won't work just fine in your current arrangement. The device sports a "marine certified" coaxial speaker in a four- x four- inch escutcheon, a stainless steel front grill, and can be controlled by Kohler's DTV II or wired into any vanilla sound system. The SoundTiles will only be sold in pairs, but should be offered in a variety of finishes for $295 when they land in May.[Via ElectronicHouse]
MTI Whirlpools' Stereo H2O throws tunes in the tub
We know, you're already skeptical about this one, especially considering all the dodgy material that's already floated your way, but unless someone at MTI Whirlpools is blowing hot steam, this one is for realz. The Stereo H20 bathtub actually does manage to integrate audio-blastin' equipment into a container full of water without guaranteeing any sort of unexpected electrocution along the way. Touting the soothing benefits of "full-bodied sound," the tub rocks several acoustic transducers on the shell's exterior near the waterline, which should theoretically create a bucket of sound to "envelope" the bather in question. Additionally, the digital amplifier that powers said speakers includes provisions for your iPod (or any other DAP, we presume), CD / DVD player, or even an eight-track jam if you can find the correct adapter. Unsurprisingly, there's no word yet concerning the pricetag on this unique piece, but if it's anything like the musically inclined Aquagate shower, it'll probably be reserved for the more affluent set anyway.[Via OhGizmo]
Unreal Engine 3 and other PS3 tech demos from GDC floor
Sony may have prevented pics of God of War 2, MotorStorm, and Resistance: Fall of Man from being taken during Phil Harrison's keynote speech yesterday, but they did let folks take video footage of the other PS3 tech demos on the GDC floor.So here you have not only the "Lots of Ducks" tech demo all the way from last year's E3 presentation, but you've also got a user-manipulated look at Unreal Engine 3 (which will purportedly power Unreal Tournament 2007 on PS3 next year), a performance-analysis app that flips a face around, and the underwater fish demo also seen during Phil's address.Of course, there's only so much nudging around of heavy barrels with the Unreal engine that you can take without wondering what juicy UT tidbits will turn up at E3 2006. What's nice, though, is if you're sick and tired of seeing more rubber duckies in Sony's bathtub, you can watch for them in that fishy underwater video resting at the bottom of the sea. Wow, those ducks went down... permanently! Just remember that these technical demos are not representative of final playable games. (Darn.)See also: GDC: The PS3 keynote blow by blow [Chris gets his "wrist slapped"] An in-depth look at Unreal Tournament 2007 Sony confirms God of War 2 worldwide Q1 2007 Engadget & Joystiq's live coverage of Sony's PlayStation 3 launch
