Oras' touchless faucets are produced with decades of experience

As the forerunner of advanced sanitary fittings, Oras introduced some of the first touchless faucets on the market almost 30 years ago. Today electronic faucets are being included in the rapidly emerging world of intelligent objects – with Bluetooth connection being just the latest development in Oras touchless faucets.

Touchless faucets save water and energy while also improving hygiene in both public and household use. Oras introduced the first touchless faucets in the 1990s, when electronic faucet solutions were just beginning to emerge.

“We already had a few touchless faucets in our range before this, but the electronics for these came from outside the house. At the end of the 1980s Oras made a strategic decision to invest in electronic products, so we started to grow our own electronics know-how and further develop touchless Oras faucets," says Lassi Lahti, Product Manager at Oras.

“The first Oras touchless faucets were delivered to hospitals where the high hygiene level that the faucets represented was a clear and significant asset. Other public premises also soon started using touchless faucets as they were easy to use and brought significant water and energy savings”, Lahti continues.

Production at own factories

Today Oras manufactures touchless faucets largely by itself. The basic principles are same for all the touchless faucets on the market, but especially in their sensor technologies there are manufacturer-specific differences.

For most Oras competitors, the sensory feedback is based on changing amounts of light reflecting back. However, in Oras touchless faucets the response is based on the measurement of the distance  from which light is reflected back, and therefore variables like color and material have significantly less effect on how the sensory mechanism works. In addition to their sensory technology, what makes Oras products special is the highly responsive magnet valve, developed and produced by Oras.

Many Oras competitors buy the components and expertise required for the production of electronic faucets from outside. Oras faucets are developed and produced in-house in its own facilities.

Intelligence is coming also to sanitary and  water fittings

The world is increasingly moving in a more technical direction, and electronics can be utilized in new ways compared to decades ago.

“Electronics has developed tremendously in recent years, while the size of components has decreased. Over the years, significant technological advances have been made in processor and sensor technologies.

The latest development in Oras touchless faucets is their Bluetooth connection. Together with the Oras App designed especially for professionals, it can be used to gather information, track counters and make changes to factory settings.

The next step will be the internet of things (IoT), which allows you to track and control faucets over the Internet”, Lahti explains.

Today Oras offers a wide range of touchless faucets, each carefully designed in response to their specific intended use. There are battery and AC powered faucets as well as hybrid models combining the features of touchless and traditional faucets. The significance of design has increased in importance as electronic faucets have found their way into millions of households.

Initially, the target groups of touchless faucets were the health care and the public premises. But today  touchless faucets are becoming increasingly common in households due to their hygiene, ease of use, and energy and water saving properties.