PARIS – For the moment it’s just an experiment, but this new invention could soon be on sale given how original and useful it is. The “refresh cap” from Vittel, a French mineral water brand from the Nestlé Waters family, is an innovative system that provides a solution to the problem of remembering to drink throughout the day. Raise your hand if you get caught up in your day and don’t realise how much time has passed since you last had a drink of water.
INNOVATION – At first glance it looks like an ordinary cap. But on closer inspection you can see that there is a marked band just below the top of the cap, which is actually a timer that activates as soon as the top is put on the bottle. After 60 minutes a small spring inside the cap is activated which pops up a small flag to attract the attention of whoever has the bottle next to them. According to the agency Ogilvy Paris, which came up with this experiment, the initial results show that people actually did drink more water during the day and that they had fun doing so.
REMINDER TO DRINK – The mechanisms to remind ourselves to drink have taken an increasingly technological approach in recent years and this new experiment shows just that. Recently, apps for smartphones have also been invented encouraging people to drink. Nestlé Vera, for example, launched two apps to explain to children and adults the importance of the right water intake for our physical well- being. Idro 8, the most game-like and which is aimed at children, is already available from the Apple and Google stores.
