Although some people may take a more "civilized" approach, it's likely that most of us drink water by putting our mouths right up to the faucet. The Da Vinci faucet was designed to make doing so more hygienic and less wasteful, as it incorporates a drinking fountain.
Virginia-based engineer Steve Waddell invented the device after seeing a public water tap in Italy that utilized the same principle. By blocking the water flow out of the end of the tap with their hand, users could force the water to instead squirt up out of a hole in the top of the tap.
The Da Vinci Fountain Faucet takes a more refined approach, as it utilizes an integrated lever-activated valve to temporarily keep the water from flowing out the bottom of the faucet. Users can then drink from the resulting fountain that springs up out of the top of the faucet, without pressing their germy mouth up against anything.
There are also a couple of side benefits, in that users don't have to bend down as far in order to reach the water stream, nor are they likely to use as much water – traditional faucets tend to get turned to a fairly high output level, in order to get a good drinking stream that's more than just a trickle.
Waddell additionally suggests that the Da Vinci could make tasks such as face-washing and the rinsing off of shaving cream easier and more efficient. Plus it's designed in such a way that its fountain shouldn't arc out past the edge of a standard basin.
If you're interested in getting a Da Vinci Fountain Faucet, you can do so via its current Kickstarter campaign. Assuming it reaches production, a pledge of US$239 will get you a 4-inch centerset model with a chrome finish – the planned retail price is $479. Higher pledges are required for larger models and/or a brushed-nickel finish.
Potential backers who don't mind taking a kludgier approach might also want to check out products such as the Kwik Sip, which is a fountain attachment that gets mounted on the end of an existing faucet. There's also even a toothbrush that produces its own fountain when held under the tap.
Sources: Kickstarter, nasoni
