The Smart Sipper
Hydration & Electrolyte Tracking Water Bottle
The most exciting aspect of designing the Smart Sipper was that we got to work with a real-life client throughout the whole process, emulating an experience similar to what is seen in the industry.
The objective of the project was to choose from one of two real-life clients who were McMaster University students that suffer from disabilities, then design a solution that solves one of their daily problems. The client we chose experienced epilepsy. Through interviewing him, my group and I learned that he was prone to minor seizures throughout the day, which significantly impacted his notetaking ability during lectures. Additionally, we learned that when he was dehydrated and low on electrolytes, which is common in busy university students, his seizures would be more frequent and harsh.
The solution we designed had to work seamlessly with our client's daily routine (should be portable, easy to use, reliable, etc.) as per his request. As a group, we decided our solution would tackle maintaining our client's hydration and electrolyte levels. Therefore, the device we created was the Smart Sipper, a water bottle that tracks and displays water consumption throughout the day while prompting the user to consume water and electrolytes when needed.
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Water consumption measured using an ultrasonic distance sensor fixated to the underside of the bottle cap
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Input from the sensor is processed using a Raspberry Pi and a Python program so we can measure if there is a decrease (water consumed) or increase (water filled) in water level
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Whenever the bottle cap has been opened, then closed, the sensor will read a list of 12 distances. A standard deviation algorithm is used to remove the outliers and the mean is taken to provide an accurate measurement
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Users will be reminded via a blue LED if they are not on track to drinking the recommended amount of water a day by checking total water consumption every hour
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Users will be reminded via a green LED to mix an electrolyte tablet into the bottle halfway through the day
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Tablet can easily be stored and dispensed using a specially-designed cap
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Users may insert a tablet into the bottom of the cap at the beginning of the day, then press the side button to release the tablet whenever they choose, or when the Smart Sipper reminds them to
