Automatic Water Dispenser

Assistive & Home Hydration Prototype

2023 · Prototyping Lead

AccessibilityFrictionPrototypingEmbedded

Accessibility

Inclusive design for users of all abilities.

Friction

Minimized unnecessary steps to keep users in flow.

PROBLEM & USERS

People with motor disabilities, elderly individuals, and children can struggle with manual dispenser controls, and home users often underestimate how much water they drink each day.

Target users: Disabled individuals, elderly people, children, and single-person households that need both easy dispensing and daily hydration awareness.

CONSTRAINTS

  • Must work with diverse cup sizes and shapes
  • No manual dexterity required to operate
  • Track dispensed volume reliably for one-user daily totals
  • Safe for unsupervised use by children

APPROACH

Hands-free dispensing

Integrated cup-detection sensors to trigger dispensing automatically without button presses, reducing physical effort and coordination burden.

Intake logging and daily totals

Added flow-based volume tracking for each dispense and aggregated totals by day so one home user can clearly see hydration progress.

Reminder and safety logic

Implemented reminder notifications when the user is below target intake, plus fail-safes such as automatic shutoff and spill-aware handling.

WHAT SHIPPED

A working prototype that automatically detects cup placement, dispenses hands-free, tracks daily intake for a single user, and sends hydration reminders.

Architecture Snapshot

Input

Disabled individuals, elderly people, children, and single-person households that need both easy dispensing and daily hydration awareness.

Core Decision

Combined sensor-based dispensing with personal intake tracking and reminder nudges

Output

Users can hydrate independently while staying aware of daily water goals

Stack

  • Embedded Systems
  • Sensors
  • Flow Measurement
  • Prototyping Tools

IMPACT

  • Users with motor limitations can independently access water
  • Home users can monitor daily intake and receive reminders before end-of-day shortfall

LEARNINGS

  • Flow measurement and sensor calibration must account for cup geometry and refill speed variance
  • Reminder timing is more effective when tied to routine windows rather than fixed hourly alerts

NEXT STEPS

  • Expand from single-user mode to optional multi-user profiles
  • Add temperature selection for hot/cold water