INDIANAPOLIS - Leading the way in breakthrough faucet innovation, the Brizo^® brand offers the Pascal^® Culinary Faucet with Smart Technology^®. For the first time, a faucet manufacturer has designed a faucet that acts more like a "personal assistant" in the kitchen, focusing on the actual art of cooking, improving efficiency and ease-of-use.

How it Works

Pascal is unlike anything on the market today, featuring precise technology sure to change the way gourmet cooks and aspiring chefs work within the kitchen. Combining hands-free and touch-control technology, home epicureans can seamlessly activate water flow by either "tapping" almost anywhere on the faucet or using the hands-free option; reserving both hands for cooking and clean up. For added convenience, Pascal's high-arc pull-down spout also automatically activates and deactivates water flow. Water temperature and flow are set by the faucet's single-handle manual valve. Water is delivered at the same setting each time when the hands-free, touch, or pull-down settings are activated.

"We believe culinary enthusiasts will view Pascal as an essential tool that enhances their cooking experience-similar to a set of professional cookware or cutlery," said Bob Rodenbeck, research and development for Brizo.  "Our goal was to create a faucet that allowed the homeowner to interact with it on many different levels; to simplify and add convenience in the kitchen while keeping it familiar and intuitive to the user."

The Story

Brizo hired IDEO, a cutting-edge research and design firm to videotape people in the kitchen to see what habits they formed. Utilizing intensive "human factors" research, IDEO discovered that people consistently left the water running when doing dishes and often used their elbows to turn the faucet handles on or off when handling foods such as raw meats. These two observations spawned the creation of Pascal's hands-free technology.

To complement this research with hands-on consumer experience, Brizo enlisted 22 locally and nationally renowned chefs to participate in a beta test project. Pascal was installed in each chef's home and was tested over an eight-week period. The chefs used cameras and journals to document their experiences and were given specific tasks to fulfill, such as holding a dinner party in order to gauge the effectiveness of Pascal and their guests' reactions. Their valuable feedback provided further insight in order to fine-tune the faucet's development.

Pascal's Technology

Pascal's exclusive smart electronic technology can differentiate between taps (momentary touches) and grabs through timing. Its unique sensors can determine if and when a part of the human body touches part of the faucet.  Built-in timeouts automatically turn water off within two seconds after an object or hand is removed from under the spout.

This highly precise technology is what differentiates Pascal from commercial electronic faucets with underperforming sensors. Commercial sensors such as airport lavatory faucets simply look for objects within a given distance. Pascal's technology, however, can differentiate between moving and static objects. For example, placing a stack of dishes in the sink won't activate the water flow, while an object placed under the faucet to be rinsed, will.  While Pascal is in "hands-free" mode, water will run continuously as long as the "water work space" has an object (i.e., hands; dish being washed, etc.) in it (water work space is area from bottom of spout to approximately 8" down).

Pascal's Benefits

By merging technology with design, Pascal improves homeowner's quality of life through added benefits that make their lives easier and more convenient, everyday.

1      Ease of Use: An electronic faucet that can be turned on and off by tapping or by placing your hands under the spout offers improved convenience and efficiency. This is especially beneficial to physically challenged individuals, including those with arthritis, who may have trouble turning the faucet on and off.

2      Convenience: Homeowners can activate water flow more quickly and easily by tapping the faucet or using the hands-free function. The pull-down two-function spray head features the twist-and-lock mechanism that keeps the wand firmly in place when not in use. When the pull-down spray head extends, it automatically turns water on, retracting, turns water off. Pascal's high-arc spout and pull-down spray is perfect for filling pots and its functionality also allows conversion to a full manual mode.

3      Sanitation: Since water can be activated without using your hands, dirty or contaminated hands need not touch the faucet.  This is particularly important for hygiene purposes when handling foods such as raw meat.

4      Water and Energy Conservation: Homeowners are able to conserve water and energy because they're less likely to leave the water running. Less hot water means less energy consumed.

More Features and Benefits

Pascal features a two-function aerated diverter that easily switches from spray to stream with a click of a button. It has both battery and AC power options and the sensor in the handle turns off the faucet's electronic technology when the manual valve is in the off position, conserving battery life. The LED Mode Indicator communicates which mode the faucet is in (hands-free & touch or touch only) and indicates when the mode has been changed. It also indicates a warning when the batteries need to be replaced. Pascal is available in Polished Chrome as well as Brilliance® Stainless Steel and is available with or without a matching soap dispenser.