Many parts of the world are facing unprecedented shortages of water. A design team based in drought-ridden California has come up with a new concept to help people consume less water. Droppler does not require complicated installation of hardware. Instead, it taps into the human mind to trigger behavioral change.
Droppler has been developed by San Carlos-based Nascent Objects and is a sound-based, awareness-raising device that empowers the user with information to form new habits.
Based on academic research, the company says it can help households reduce water consumption by 30 percent if they can get a clear picture of how much they are using. The monitoring is done through advanced pattern recognition to detect the sound of running water.
The device has a porcelain, tube-like shell, a Wi-Fi- and Bluetooth-enabled main board with memory storage, a microphone, and a LED strip. The user sets a full bar of light and is then able to see how much it drops as water is consumed. The information is streamed in real time through an app (iOS and Android). The user can choose just how much and how often they want to have updates and reports. The Droppler is not waterproof.
The main hardware module of the Droppler can be removed and used to make another two devices. It can be converted into a 720p Wi-Fi camera for home-monitoring or taken to a party as a streaming Wi-Fi speaker. Modules for the camera and speaker are included.
The Droppler is currently fundraising on Indiegogo. Pledges for a Droppler with the camera and speaker modules start at US$119. If all goes to plan, delivery is estimated for June 2016.
The video below features the Nascent Objects team talking about Droppler.
Sources: Nascent Objects, Indiegogo