Kohler put Alexa in a toilet so Happy New Year

NelsonG · January 7, 2019

Kohler, the company established in 1873 and best known for its plumbing products, has shown little restraint in the connected home era. The company debuted a connected appliance platform called Kohler Konnect at CES 2018, and the push continues this year.

Feast your eyes on the Kohler Numi 2.0.

This is an intelligent toilet that uses surround sound speakers and dynamic ambient lighting systems to hopefully immerse you in an environment so tranquil, so idyllic, that you actually forget you’re sitting on a toilet. The Numi 2.0 also comes with personalized cleansing and dryer functions as well as a heated seat. Plus, the Numi 2.0 also provides a little company in the form of Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. (If Instagram isn’t enough.)

This is also the first year that Kohler is releasing an entire collection of products that work together on the Konnect platform. The Veil Lighted bathroom collection includes a freestanding bath, lighted mirror, and lighted three-piece vanity alongside the Numi toilet and an integrated lighting system, all powered by voice.

With the complete collection, users can create various ‘moods’ within the app, which will then be automatically conveyed via audio and lighting within the bathrooms based on the users’ own parameters. The Veil Lighted bathroom collection also comes with support for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Kohler is also pledging to actually release a few of the items it hyped at CES 2018, including SmartFill technology on some of its bathtubs, and a voice-powered shower interface that allows customizable presets around sound, light, water and steam.

Still no word around pricing for these new smart bathroom products, but interested humans can check out the Kohler website. (Be forewarned: the website autoplays rather dramatic music.)