These days everything is smart, and with some gadgets, connectivity makes more sense than others. You might think a smart water bottle would be one of those gadgets that doesn’t need artificial intelligence… but hear me out as I fill you in about the DrinKup smart water bottle.
What is DrinKup smart water bottle?
DrinKup is a stainless steel, double walled, insulating water bottle, not unlike some of the premium steel bottles you can get from many stores. What makes this one different is the smarts.
Inside the bottle’s lid are sensors that can tell how much water you’re drinking, what the water temperature is, and when paired with the companion app, it can deliver reminders to drink your water, via the smart lid (an icon and vibrating alert), to your phone or to your Apple Watch. It can be used for cold drinks, like water or for hot drinks, like tea.
How does DrinKup work?
I was curious how the technology inside this bottle works. So I asked the company. The response I got was this:
“The smart lid measures the water volume by a complex algorithm that we patented, whenever you close your bottle, it will start detecting the water volume in the bottle and comparing with the previous water volume left in the bottle, it will calculate how much you have drank.”
But that doesn’t tell me how it’s all working.
While I was reviewing this device, I kept hearing a mysterious high pitched sound, like a high end audio tone. It was quiet but maddening until I found the source; the DrinKup! So my guess is that it uses some kind of ultrasonic sound waves to measure the volume in the bottle. Presumably this is why all the instructions say to keep the lid tightly closed for measuring; to keep the sound waves in. But that’s just my unscientific guess.
How do I set up DrinKup smart water bottle?
Setting up the bottle was simple; download the free DrinKup app and log in or sign up.
You’ll need to charge up the lid first to take advantage of the smart features; to do it, twist the lid counterclockwise to reveal the hidden sealed charging tab; be sure to close it up after charging! Then you’ll pair the bottle to your phone; all you need to do is grant Bluetooth connectivity permission in the app and it’s ready to go. It worked on the first try and I was ready to drink up!
How to drink more water? Smart reminders
Inside the app you’ll want to set you daily water goals. If you’re like me, you can go hours before remembering you should drink water, so I thought getting more frequent reminder would be handy.
The app will help you figure out how much water to drink, based on your height, weight and age, once your settings are locked in, the app and the bottle does the rest. You’ll also set the time period the bottle will monitor your water intake, so you won’t lose points for not drinking overnight.
What do the icons mean? DrinKup notifications & icons
You’ll see several notifications on the bottle lid, telling you various things:
% indicator: this is how much of your daily water total you’ve consumed so far (not, as you might think, how much of the bottle you’ve had)
Heart: When your water balance is below 80%, DrinKup will remind you automatically and a “heart” icon will appear frequently until your water balance is higher than 80% .The DrinKup lid will keep flashing until you drink enough water to raise your hydration balance above 80%.
Temperature: Flip DrinKup upside down for a few seconds until it vibrates and then turn the bottle back upright. The screen will automatically show the current temperature of the water in the bottle. (It normally takes 5 – 8 seconds)
ZZZ: this means the bottle is outside its recording period and is asleep.
There are a lot more icons you might see:
Your pre-set daily water intake goal will help DrinKup determine if you have been drinking enough water on an hourly basis.
Using the app it’s possible to record additional water you might drink that doesn’t get sipped from the bottle. Just select how much you’ve had, and the app will factor it into your overall intake. It’s easy!
When your battery is running low, the LED will display the battery charge icon when you screw
the lid tightly on the DrinKup bottle. You can also check the status on the app. The battery should last 30-90 days depending on your useage. After about 4 weeks, mine still shows 50% power.
The bottle needs to be hand washed, and you can’t put it in the freezer or the microwave of course. You’re also not supposed to immerse the lid in water.
Overall review of DrinKup smart water bottle
I was surprised at how much I liked this bottle and how helpful it was to keep me properly hydrated. I think the app works well and having the alerts and notifications in lights on the lid is convenient.
If you’re like me in that you never drink enough water, this bottle can really help keep you on track. DrinKup sells for about $69USD and comes in 4 fun colours. You can get it from DrinKup’s website.
