The iHouse SmartFaucet is a tap with a built-in camera that recognizes your face, then runs the water at your saved temperature and flow. iHouse showed it in 2009, never announced a price, and we found no sign it ever went on general sale. Delta and Kohler now sell voice-controlled and touchless kitchen faucets you can actually buy.
| Feature | iHouse SmartFaucet (2009 concept) |
|---|---|
| Who it recognizes | Each user, by face camera |
| What it remembers | Preferred water temperature and flow per person |
| Screen | Touchscreen showing email, calendar and weather |
| Heating | Internal heating coil in the faucet itself |
| Temperature cue | LEDs in the spout, blue for cold to red for hot |
| Price | Never announced |
| Availability | No release date or sales information found |
What was the iHouse SmartFaucet?
It was a faucet that wanted to be a phone. A camera in the unit identified whoever stood at the sink and pulled up their personal settings, so each member of the family got their own water temperature without touching a handle. The press first covered it in April 2009, and the coverage places it in a high-tech loft iHouse built for the FEICON construction show in São Paulo, Brazil.
The water side was just as ambitious. An internal heating coil warmed the water inside the faucet, which gave finer control than a standard mixer tap and explains the fast response. A LED in the spout changed color with the temperature, so you could see at a glance whether the water was cold, warm or hot. Flow could be customized as well.
The screen on the faucet
The touchscreen turned the sink into a small dashboard. It could show your email, your calendar with appointments and important dates, the weather and the news, which is handy while you brush your teeth or shave. The pitch was that you check what to wear before you leave the bathroom.
Nobody asked for an inbox next to the soap. In 2009 the idea felt like a glimpse of the future. In 2026 most of us already carry that screen in a pocket, which is probably why the concept stayed a concept.
Sales status of the SmartFaucet
We could not confirm that it did. Every report we found, from 2009 onward, says the price had not been announced, and none gives a release date or a stockist. One early write-up guessed it would sit among the most expensive faucets around, which is a reasonable bet for a heated, camera-equipped tap. Treat it as a showpiece unless iHouse proves otherwise.
Smart faucets you can buy in 2026
The face camera did not survive, but voice control and touchless switching did. The two big names are listed below, with prices as we found them in October 2026. Retailers discount and change finishes often, so check the current figure before buying.
| Brand and line | What it does | Price we found |
|---|---|---|
| Delta VoiceIQ with Touch2O (Essa, Trinsic, Stryke) | Voice command to dispense a set amount, such as one cup, plus touch on and off | Delta list prices for its nine voice-activated models run from $870 to $1,713 |
| Delta VoiceIQ Module | Adds voice control to an existing Delta Touch2O faucet | $250.85 list price |
| Kohler Konnect (Setra, Crue, Tone, Sensate, Graze) | Touchless or voice-activated, with app connection | Roughly $440 to $2,500 across retailer listings, depending on model and finish |
Owners are not unanimous. Reviews of the Kohler line praise the touchless and voice features, while some owners report a painful first internet setup and dropped connections. A faucet that needs Wi-Fi to pour water is a fun idea until the router restarts.
Our take
The SmartFaucet got one thing right early: water at your own temperature, instantly, without fiddling. That is exactly what today’s voice faucets sell. The email and calendar part was the overreach. If you want the useful half in 2026, buy a touchless or voice faucet and leave your inbox where it is. Would you pay a premium for a face-recognizing tap? Tell us in the comments and share the article.
Keep reading
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FAQ
What is the iHouse SmartFaucet?
It is a concept faucet from iHouse with a face recognition camera, a touchscreen for email and calendar, an internal heating coil and temperature-colored LEDs. It was first covered in 2009.
How much does the iHouse SmartFaucet cost?
No price was ever announced in the coverage we found, and we found no release date or sales information, so we cannot give a figure.
How does the faucet know who you are?
A built-in camera runs face recognition and recalls the water temperature and flow saved for each user, so every family member gets their own settings.
Can you buy a voice-controlled faucet today?
Yes. Delta sells VoiceIQ faucets with list prices from $870 to $1,713 and a $250.85 add-on module for Touch2O faucets, and Kohler sells touchless and voice-activated Konnect models at a wide range of prices.
Why did face-recognizing faucets not take off?
We found no confirmed reason from the maker. The product apparently never reached normal retail, and the main benefit, instant water at your preferred temperature, is now sold through voice and touchless faucets instead.
Last updated: October 2026.
