Technological Advancements and Shower Head Design: A 50-Year Review

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of the technological advancements that have influenced the design and functionality of shower heads over the past 50 years. It traces the evolution from rudimentary designs to modern, efficient, and user-friendly models. The paper discusses key milestones, including the introduction of mechanical pumps, the English Regency shower design, and the concept of modern plumbing. It highlights the impact of innovations like air showers, electric showers, and the integration of geysers, as well as the shift towards diverse shower head shapes and materials. The essay emphasizes how technological developments have enhanced comfort, ease of use, and water efficiency, ultimately improving the overall bathing experience. The paper utilizes references to support its analysis of shower head evolution.

Running head: SHOWER HEAD HISTORY
SHOWER HEAD HISTORY
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1SHOWER HEAD HISTORY
As stated by Ming and Thiry, the emergence of the different kinds of technologies had
positively affected the life of the human beings and also helped them to perform their daily tasks
in a better manner. Beal, Gurung and Stewart are of the viewpoint that an important example is
the manner in which the recent developments in the field of technology had improved the quality
of the shower heads which are being used by the individuals for bathing. For instance, unlike the
earlier times when the individuals had to manually fetch water in buckets or other utensils and
thereby take a bath, presently the individuals do not have to undertake any manually activity
since they have the option to take the help of showers (Tsuruda et al.). More importantly, it had
been seen that with the emergence of the different technologies and also with the advancements
attained in the field of science the showers have evolved over the years to make it easier for the
individuals to use them. The purpose of this paper is to undertake an analysis of the manner in
which the technological developments have influenced the design or the manufacture of the
shower heads in the last 50 years.
Felgueiras et al. are of the viewpoint that the credit for the invention of showers goes to
William Feetham who in the year 1797 invented a prototype of the shower which used
mechanical stoves for storing and heating up the water. Furthermore, in the 20th century
developers added a mechanical pump to the system to facilitate the release of water effectively
from the showers and thereby to reduce the human labor involved in the concerned process
(Ming and Thiry). Adding to this, Beal, Gurung and Stewart have noted that the English Regency
shower design invented in 1810 paved the path for the modern showers and it was 10 feet (3 m)
tall and took the help of metallic pipes. However, these showers used to take the help of circular
or round shower heads and were very rudimentary in nature since the focus of the manufacturers
was more on the effective working on the shower heads or the showers rather than on the design

2SHOWER HEAD HISTORY
of the shower heads or the comfort of the individuals using the same (Tsuruda et al.). The actual
change came through the work of François Merry Delabost who introduced the concept of
modern plumbing to completely eradicate manual or physical labor in the different showers
(Ming and Thiry). In addition to these, it had been seen that the advancements attained in the
technological fields in the last 50 years have paved the way for air showers, electric showers and
others. For instance, because of these advancements developers have been able to use electricity
or electric power for boring water, collect them in water tanks and when needed transfer the
same through pipes to the shower head (Tsuruda et al.).
More importantly, it had been seen that these technological innovations have also
facilitated the development of different kinds of showers along shower heads as well to suit the
needs of the individuals. Furthermore, it had been seen that because of technological innovations
it had become possible for the manufacturers or the developers of the showers to connect the
showers with geysers so that the individuals can get both warm and normal temperature water for
bathing as per their convenience (Beal, Gurung and Stewart). Moreover, it had been seen that
rather than simply using circular or round shower heads these showers often use square,
rectangular or geometrically shaped shower heads so as to suit the needs of the individuals. In
the light of these aspects, it can be said that technological development in the last few decades is
an important factor which had directly contributed towards the evolution of the design of the
showers and the shower heads. In addition to these, it had been seen that the comfort factor and
also the ease or for that matter the velocity of the fall flow from the shower heads are the two
most important factors which have directly contributed towards the evolution of the shower
heads and their design over the years (Felgueiras et al.).

3SHOWER HEAD HISTORY
To conclude, with the evolution of technology and also with the developments in the field
of science, the showers as well as the shower heads have undergone a transformation over the
years. More importantly, it had been seen that the adequate usage of the technological
advancements for the improvement of the showers and the shower heads have substantially
enhanced the ease of usage of these showers and thereby positively benefitted the human beings.
These aspects of the impact of technological developments on the evolution of shower heads in
the last 50 years become apparent from the above discussion of the same.

4SHOWER HEAD HISTORY
References
Beal, Cara D., Thulo Ram Gurung, and Rodney A. Stewart. "Modelling the impacts of water
efficient technologies on energy intensive water systems in remote and isolated
communities." Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy18.6 (2016): 1713-1723.
Felgueiras, Carlos, et al. "Water consumption monitoring system for public bathing
facilities." Energy Procedia 153 (2018): 408-413.
Ming, Chew Kien, and Jeffery Yeow Teh Thiry. "Independent Bathing for Older Adults: The
Conceptualization of the iMagic-BOX Portable Walk-In Bathtub." International
Conference on Cross-Cultural Design. Springer, Cham, 2017.
Tsuruda, Leandro Kazuaki, et al. "Evaluation of technologies to reduce energy and water
consumption in popular housing." 2018 IEEE International Conference on Environment
and Electrical Engineering and 2018 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems
Europe (EEEIC/I&CPS Europe). IEEE, 2018.