Automatic faucet

Automatic faucets are common in public washrooms, particularly in airports and hotels, where they reduce the transmission of disease-causing microbes.

Automatic faucets were first developed in the 1950s but were not produced for commercial use until the late 1980s when they first appeared to the general public in locations where users such as arthritis sufferers have difficulty controlling domestic tap handles.

Sensor-activated faucets were invented by the Australian Norman Wareham,[2] who initiated electronic controls of water flow for domestic, commercial, medical and industrial uses.

The accurate pre-set control of flow rate, temperature and precise time allows the flow to be accurately set to provide the correct quantity to fill hand basins, or sinks, or baths to the pre-set level ensuring optimum amounts of correct temperature water is dispensed for each purpose.

When used for sensor activated automatic use rather than manual control use, such as for public hand basins or showers in parks or beaches etc.

When users move away from public hand basins or showers, the sensor controlled flow of water is immediately stopped avoiding waste.

Their automatic shutoff mechanism also greatly reduces the risk of sink overflow due to a faucet being left on either inadvertently or deliberately.