Digitalisation is increasingly infiltrating our everyday lives – and the kitchen has long been no exception. The basic technical functions in a household such as lighting, heating and providing shade lend them-selves to digital connection, but so, too, do kitchen appliances and cooking utensils. For example, a smart extractor hood can communicate with the hobs so that the extraction power automatically adjusts to the cooking process. In the case of connected pans, ingredients are automatically weighed as they are added to the pan and nutritional information and calories are sent to the user’s smartphone or tablet. ‘Until now, the kitchen sink was the last remaining non-digital island in the midst of a connected kitchen’, explains Alexandra Walter, Category Manager for kitchen fittings at the fittings specialist Kludi (www.kludi.com). ‘We’re now making the kitchen sink smart, too.’ And Kludi are doing this by enhancing the world’s first hybrid kitchen fitting, upgrading the Kludi E-GO to the Kludi E-GO Voice.

‘Talk to me!’
The innovative kitchen fitting E-GO Voice features a digital lever that allows up to two different water volumes to be pre-set and activated by a click inwards. One click delivers just enough water to fill a glass, for example, while two clicks fills a pan for pasta. ‘We let users decide on the volume of water to pre-programme, depending on how much they need and their habits in the kitchen,’ explains Walter. In all other aspects, the lever is operated in just the same way as a lever on a conventional fitting.

The E-GO can also be integrated with Amazon Alexa or Google Home, which brings even smarter benefits by enabling voice operation. The fitting is also integrated in the home WiFi network. Voice control works with programmable commands that are saved as routines in Alexa or Google Home. ‘This makes our fitting extremely easy to operate, even when your hands are full – nothing could be simpler or more convenient! Contact-free operation in a room where food is prepared is an added bonus in terms of hygiene,’ confirms Category Manager, Walter.

The app is indispensable
The key accessory for the E-GO Voice is the free accompanying S-FLOW-App, which has an extremely user-friendly interface and is available to download for both iOS and Android devices. The app communicates with the smart kitchen fitting via WiFi, and among other features, allows users to pre-set the desired flow volume per minute and activate a child safety lock from their smartphone or tablet. When more water is needed for everyday jobs in the kitchen, the water-saving function can be quickly overridden by clicking the digital lever outwards. ‘Another practical added value is the fact that the app provides statistics on water and energy consumption,’ explains Walter.

Kludi E-GO Voice is available in the classic design with a slender, semi-circular C-shaped spout and pull-out spray with two types of jet – freeing up more space at the kitchen sink. The smart kitchen fitting comes with chrome, matt black and matt white finishes.