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Accessibility , long overlooked by the world ’s biggest ironware and software developers , has started to find its groove in the earthly concern of tech . It ’s about sentence : It ’s estimated that more than one - one-quarter of all adults in the U.S.reportthemselves as having handicap ; and in the U.K. , in a theme last year from theONS , more than 30 % ofallpeople surveyed found services hard to get at . Regulationsare in conclusion starting to get up to apply better accessibility for all . But in the interim , some prescient inauguration are doubling down now .
Catalan startupShowee , which is building wise shower with accessibility in psyche , is one such party . A couple of workweek ago , its team was awarded thefirst prizeat the Spanish Red Cross ’ Humanitarian Technology Awards at 4YFN 2024 , Mobile World Congress ’ startup event .
Showee ’s shower is design for people with disabilities who face challenges both forcible and intellectual . It has a height - adjustable social system , and also includes a smart touchscreen that guides users through each step , from wetting and lather to dry .
Here ’s a telecasting showing how it work :
More than the computer hardware , Showee won awards and praise for the societal impact it ’s trying to make . By adapting to a user ’s grade of self-direction , it gives them back a mint of privacy without endangering their safety ; instead of being a trying experience , exhibitioner can be relaxing . In atestimonial , a user denote to the experience as “ liberating . ” Another testimonial noted that in facilities that miss enough staff or time to care for patient individually , Showee could help nursing help give showers more often to patient who want them .
Showee ’s goal , however , is n’t to replace caretaker , whether they are family member or professionals , the company ’s CIO , Alejandro Castro , told TechCrunch at 4YFN . For example , rather than having to be present during the whole shower , caretaker can control the steps through Showee ’s nomadic app , and only come in when they ’re want and notified .
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CEO Èric Güell was barrack by the needs of his own family — his mother has a chronic illness and his grannie was diagnose with Parkinson ’s , Castro explain . He set about Showee in 2017 , and the squad presently after received mentoring and accompaniment from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya , also know as BarcelonaTech .
Go-to-market plans
It ’s not surprising that Showee has been in the works for several years when you consider its focus . Bringing hardware innovations to market isnotoriously intemperately , especially in a niche , but Showee made a couple of calls that helped it insert the market place .
First , the company found amanufacturing collaborator , which provided it with R&D space and aid it build prototypes . Then , the squad concenter on sell to business like hospitals and care facilities . The society ’s CTO , Eloi Mirambell , let in that the sassy shower ’s cost will have to go down before it has a real chance at B2C.
For now , Showee ’s shower are being used at retirement homes , hospitals and tutor housing care centers for people with wicked autism , and the like . The inauguration is also looking to sell to hotel with a slightly less customizable shower program that will make it more immediately operational for one - time users .
Accessibility and inclusion body away , Showee has another selling point : water rescue . The startup say its rain shower uses 50 % less water than a regular exhibitioner . This is a strong point , given that its native Catalonia latterly declareda drought emergency brake . It also offers a monetary welfare , as this issue has driven many municipalities across Spain toraise their water system pace .
Since showers represent a big dowry of retreat homes ’ urine flier , future rescue could aid amortize the purchase , Castro said .
Priced at about € 5,000 , ( around $ 5,420 ) , a Showee rain shower is definitely going to burn a hole in most homeowners ’ pocketbook , but the startup knows what it needs to do to become more affordable . For example , some hardware components could be put back with less expensive parts if it start producing more unit , Mirambell explained . The product could also become modular , and the society could make some features optional for users who do n’t involve them .
Just as significantly , Showee is giving buyers the choice to pay a monthly subscription for three years instead of buying the shower upfront . It is seeking to raise more financing this twelvemonth , and is also in talks with distributors who could help it sell the next variation of its shower bath to a wide audience .
This Modern version is coming to market before long and the example that Showee showed off at MWC is on its means out . In its FAQ , the startup says that all exhibitioner unit are sold out , but Showee will be useable again starting April 2024 . The more it sells , the more chances it will have to bring Showee to homes and benefit more people .
