Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

Take a long soak without feeling guilty with the water-saving Rua showerhead

Add as a preferred source on Google

We get it. After a long day, you sometimes just want to luxuriate in the shower. After all, what better way to do away with the worries of the day than with some water therapy? But great as this may be for you, it’s not so great for the planet. With water shortages plaguing every continent on Earth, we’ve often been asked to sacrifice our spa experiences for the greater good — but no longer. Meet the Rua, a water-saving showerhead that promises to help you save water without compromising on your shower experience or design.

It’s the latest design to come out of New Zealand company Methven, which is known for its various Buy Now . The company has previously debuted showerheads like the Aurajet and the Satinjet, but the Rua promises to be the most environmentally conscious of the bunch.

Recommended Videos

Rua uses less than 1.8 gallons of water per minute, which is about 0.7 gallons less than the standard showerhead found in most American homes. But despite this difference, the maker of Rua promises that you won’t feel a difference. The device’s hidden nozzles generate individual jets of water that collide against angled surfaces within the showerhead, causing the water to launch out from the channel. This, in turn, creates a fan of water that actually allows for 20 percent more spray force than a conventional shower. Rua is also claimed to provide twice the skin coverage, allowing for a full body experience, all while being kinder to the environment.

It’s similar to the Nebia, an easy-to-install shower head that atomizes water into a mist instead of the streams you’re probably used to. It drew support from none other than Tim Cook — and we liked it so much, we picked it for our annual Home Awards, which celebrate the best smarthome technology.

Unlike most water-saving showerheads, which distribute uneven droplets of water and mist, Rua brings an invigorating experience to your bathroom.

The chrome surround and continuous slot design conceals the showerhead’s engine, and makes for a rather distinctive design. Engineered to last for years, the Rua promises to neither become discolored or degrade over time. With its Kickstarter debut, the Rua is being made available for pre-order for the price of $169 ($90 less than its retail price), with products estimated to begin shipping in December 2017.

Let’s be clear: This isn’t part of the smarthome — unlike smart mirrors or smart toilets — but saving water? That’s smart nonetheless.

Lulu Chang
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Apple’s next home robot could turn its screen to follow you, but it might cost you $1,000 to do so
A smart display that pans, watches, and decides.
Apple HomeView feature

Remember the hopping Pixar lamp that famously squashes the letter “I” in the studio logo at the beginning of almost every Pixar movie? Apple may be building something similar, except this Pixar-inspired device won't actually hop or roll around your room. 

Instead, its motorized robotic arm could swivel the screen around (basically moving it left to right, or vice versa, on an axis). According to a new report from The Information, the Cupertino giant is working on a larger, robotic version of its recently-announced HomeView smart display, and it might arrive as soon as next year. 

Read more
Apple might be turning its HomeView into a security camera, and it makes perfect sense
HomeView's built-in camera might soon have a few more uses beyond FaceTime calls.
Apple HomeView feature

Apple’s recently unveiled HomeView smart display could also function as a home security camera, according to a new finding in its software. The device, which already has a built-in camera for FaceTime calls and facial recognition, could supposedly use the same hardware for motion detection, live streaming, and video recording through HomeKit Secure Video.

The feature was spotted by a Reddit user in the settings files of HomeView Software 27.2 (via TheVerge). Apple hasn’t officially announced anything about it yet, but the references suggest there are going to be a few more uses for the built-in camera.

Read more
What Mattress Firmness Is Right for Back Pain?
Why the right balance of cushioning and support matters for better sleep
Sleeping

This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Sleep Number.

Waking up with a stiff back is a miserable way to start the day. The usual advice is to buy the firmest mattress you can find. It sounds reasonable, but your spine, shoulders, and hips don’t work that way. The needs differ for each person, but there are a few ways you can get that healthy sleep with the right mattress.

Read more