Having a bath that fills up whilst you are on your way home

might sound like something from a science fiction film, but

the bathroom of the future could be upon us sooner than

you might think.

Lots of bathroom technology revolves around hygiene. Top of the line toilets have a light activated layer that decomposes dirt, which is activated with a built in UV light. Some even have special electrolysed water, again, aiding in the disinfectant process, or extra smooth, ceramic surfaces, to further prevent the build-up of dirt.

Some also offer hands-free controls, like some new hand driers in public bathrooms. These minimise touch points, so you are less likely to catch and spread germs. These technologies are available today, and we can expect to see, over time, the price decrease.

Much of the technology is hygiene based. But this might not remain the case. App controlled taps, showers and baths, activated by phone, can be implemented, not only to turn them on, but to change light colours, and play music. With the internet of things fast approaching, smart appliances will crop up all around the house, bathrooms being no exception. People are open to trying new things, and experimenting with new technologies, so we can expect to see these smart items appearing more frequently.

By working in tandem with a virtual home assistant, smart bathroom tech will allow you to turn on baths and taps with the touch of a button, to have everything ready as and when you want it. You can tailor your bathroom experience so that it suits you. Now whilst installing a fully interlinked smart bathroom, with all the appliances, might be prohibitively expensive for many people, dimmable lights and other, smaller things, will become more and more common. And eventually, we expect prices to come down to the point where lots of people have what we would consider today as the bathroom of the future. Given that bathroom can sometimes feel very clinical anyway, the hope for developers is that these new technologies amplify the aesthetic value of the room, and make it less boring.