The genesis of our body dryer stems from the request of an individual with mobility issues who expressed the difficulties they faced in drying themselves with a towel. However, we never intended to create a product solely focused on this particularity; rather, it was designed for everyone. We quickly realized that a body dryer offered many other benefits for hygiene, bathroom safety, skin health, and overall well-being. It also benefits the environment by avoiding the energy and water consumption associated with towel washing, as well as the pollution caused by detergents.
As our CEO, Ion Esandi, explains, "It's never about creating highly specific new products to stigmatize people with problems or difficulties; it's about designing products that can be used by all types of people. Secondly, it's about making products that are always available for use, without the need for constant maintenance or complex cleaning".
The pillars of our designs
At Valiryo, we are committed to people and society. Therefore, we have solid pillars for all our designs::
- Accessibility: Our products are designed to be used by people of all physical or mental conditions. This ensures that Valiryo does not stigmatize or exclude anyone from its use.
- Usability: They can be used intuitively and easily by any type of user. That's why we incorporate a presence sensor for automatic use: the product turns on when you stand in front of it and turns off after a reasonable time.
- Durability: The outer material (ABS) of our products has been chosen to prevent damage to its surface from initial transport, installation, and use in different environments.
- Longevity: Our products have a protective layer (PMMA) to prevent scratches or abrasions, as well as color loss. This ensures that our products always look as good as new.
- Safety: In addition to choosing a material with low conductivity for safe use in wet spaces, we also care about hygiene. Therefore, we incorporate an antibacterial treatment based on silver ions.
- Efficiency: All components have been carefully selected to ensure a long lifespan with minimal consumption. We also add automatic shut-offs to prevent misuse.
For all these reasons, at Valiryo, as a company committed to the environment, we like to talk about longevity, avoiding the practice of its opposite: planned obsolescence, a dubious practice so common in many sectors
No to planned obsolescence
Planned obsolescence is a strategy whereby manufacturers deliberately design products with a limited lifespan or components that become obsolete quickly. This can occur due to the inclusion of low-quality parts, limited software updates, or the use of parts that will need to be replaced or repaired over time, among other methods.
The goal of planned obsolescence is to drive demand for new products by making previous ones unusable or less efficient over time, which financially benefits manufacturers but can result in resource waste and a negative impact on the environment.
This tactic goes against our core values as a company. It involves designing products with a limited lifespan, forcing consumers to replace them frequently, generating an unsustainable consumption cycle and contributing to resource waste.
No maintenance required
That's why our body dryer has been designed not to require any maintenance. There is no need to change filters or replace any parts. And the motor is tested to run for thousands of hours. Therefore, once installed, it typically becomes a permanent fixture in the bathroom, much like a mirror, toilet, or shower faucet that rarely or never breaks. Likewise, cleaning is straightforward, requiring only a damp cloth on its surface.
And if any of its components were to break, it has also been designed for easy part replacement, which can even be done by the customer themselves guided by an instructional video. Ultimately, repairing or maintaining a product or installation entails pooling a series of resources that not only incur an economic or time cost but also have an environmental impact.
Our goal is to create a product that lasts forever, eliminating the need for frequent replacements and thereby reducing the environmental impact of our production. With Valiryo, you are not only investing in comfort and convenience but also in a more sustainable future for our planet.