Not drinking enough water each day has been a recurring problem for me, to the point that on some really bad days, I get headaches.

So I had always wondered what if there was a water bottle that reminds you to drink up whenever necessary throughout the day?

And that was when I found the Hidrate Spark Smart Water Bottle; now in its third edition, the Hidrate Spark 3.

What does it do?

• The water bottle glows to remind you to drink some water
• Tracks your water consumption through a sensor which is then recorded into an app

Would I use it?

If I had USD$54.99 to spare?

Most definitely.

Unfortunately being a poor university student means I can’t afford the luxury of a smart water bottle. My tumbler from Typo will do for now.

Taking into consideration that this is the third edition of the smart water bottle, naturally, we expect that it has when through many scrutinies from users of the earlier editions in order to develop an improved edition. So let’s discuss the pros and cons of these improved Hidrate Spark 3 smart water bottle.

PROS

1. Availability of many colours to choose from allows for some form of customization for customers.
2. The ability to be integrated into other apps such as Apple Health, Under Armour Record, FitBit, enables users to conveniently check their health records under one app. They do not need to keep switching apps to check their heart rate in Apple Health then change to the Hidrate Spark App for their water intake.
3. The silicone material of the sleeve and also the structure of the sleeve with indents allow for an easy grip.

Cons

1. Expensive. USD$54.99 for a water bottle is not something everyone can afford.
2. One review I read mentioned that the water bottle leaked a little because the lid of the water bottle was loose.

SUGGESTIONS

I think one issue that many people often find is that we can’t find a water point to refill our water bottles. An idea (a little far fetched) I would suggest is that the app could show where the nearest water point is whenever the bottle is running out of water.

Another improvement I would suggest is the addition of a temperature sensor to ensure that the water is at a suitable temperature. Studies have shown that drinking lukewarm water is better for your health as compared to cold water. Hence, with the temperature sensor, users can fill up their water bottles to a suitable temperature. (Personally, I only drink cold water, so I figured this could “train” me to drink lukewarm water more often instead.)

I believe that the glowing of the water bottle to remind users to drink is quite attention-grabbing enough. However, I might suggest adding maybe some form of a sound cue for visually impaired people.

Another suggestion would also to include a cleaning kit for the water bottle. Especially since it is a nozzle, it gets dirty easily. I would suggest exploring other bigger nozzles so that the cleaning process would be easier. The detachable lids would also mean the possibility of leaks, hence exploring other designs where users do not need to detach the lid would be feasible.

Special mention:

to another device that I thought was super interesting.