Penny Morton

The new fun and connected way to encourage the elderly to stay hydrated

Product Description

While phone apps and websites can help you stay connected, ConnectedCups can help you feel connected. Real time presence means so much in any relationship. When one person uses their cup, the other person's cup lights up, encouraging the act of drinking together. ConnectedCup uses an accelerometer to measure the amount one person is drinking. To create a shared experience, the LED strip visually indicates the amount the other person has drank, so you know exactly when your friend has finished their drink!

Dehydration is a serious issue amongst the elderly and is associated with morbidities: increased falls, confusion, infections and frequent hospitalisation . A UK DRIE Study found 20% of UK residents in long term care were dehydrated.

ConnectedCups encourages the elderly to stay hydrated in a fun and new way. A loved one can gently remind and check their grandparent is drinking enough via a shared experience

Why entered the competition?

The connection between the elderly and children is so important. Children can persuade their grandparents to do things no one else could, they tend to inject fun and energy back into their lives. My goal was to create a product that facilitated a physical connection between both generations whilst improving physical health and well-being - drinking water is good for everyone of all ages!
By utilising a simple light system, the ConnectedCups avoids the ever frequent loud and annoying phone notifications/messages. When one notices their cup lighting up, they are reminded of their loved one, and can enjoy a cup of water, tea or wine with them!

Kids would be excited and intrigued to use ConnectedCups with the fun LED light strip. Understanding and realising they are sharing a real time physical connection with a loved one who lives miles away would be special for both the child and elderly person.

Can you briefly outline how your design helps people isolated by Covid-19?

ConnectedCups encourages the elderly to stay hydrated in a fun and new way. A loved one can gently remind and check their grandparent is drinking enough via a shared experience.
Dehydration is a serious issue amongst the elderly and is associated with morbidities: increased falls, confusion, infections and frequent hospitalisation . A UK DRIE Study found 20% of UK residents in long term care were dehydrated.

Can you explain what motivated you to come up with such a solution and take the time and effort to enter this challenge?

I am passionate about understanding and improving human experiences through design. After recently graduating in the current climate, the competition provided me with an opportunity to learn new things, problem solve and use innovative and inclusive design to help people live more independently, whilst encouraging empowerment - an important model for the future as demographics change and the balance of care shifts from institutional to home-based settings. I believe technology has the potential to create reliable and connected solutions, and I am excited to develop my ideas to create user friendly products that have a positive impact on people.

Can you briefly explain how your solution works both in terms of features and functionality (does it use an app, is it battery powered, what are the key functional blocks)?

After some thought I decided to change from an add on attachment to designing a cup with the electronics hidden inside. The cup utilises capacitive sensing to detect the fluid level in the cup. Capacitive sensors are located on different levels wrapped around the cup. The accelerometer and battery are stored in the base of the cup. Both cups communicate to each other via the cloud using Bluetooth LE with a phone/hub device like google home, amazon Alexa.

A Neopixel strip is located within the cup to visually indicate the level of fluid in the other cup you are connected to. An individual LED will be activated when the capacitive sensing layer detects the fluid at a particular level. When the next capacitive sensing layer is detected that LED switches off and the LED below is activated.

How are the above features enabled technically including any Nordic chips and wireless technologies used, battery life (if applicable), sensors employed etc.?

Two Nordic Thingy:52 boards can be used to communicate to each other via the app on two different phones – thus using Bluetooth LE to communicate from the Nordic Thingy:52 (Cup) to that persons phone and then cellular to send the data message to the other persons phone. Using the built-in accelerometer on the Nordic Thingy:52 board the motion of the cup can be detected and recognised when drinking occurs.

The sensing technology is being prototyped using a bare conductive touch board. To create a series of fluid level sensors, copper tape is wrapped around the cup and connected to the Touch Board. A Grapher is used to see if there is any detection and to calibrate the board.

Is this design a brand new concept or an evolution of something you’ve worked on/developed/were developing before?

From previous experience working and engaging with the elderly and their carers in care homes and independent living accommodation, I personally understand how important the connection between the elderly and children is. Children can persuade their grandparents to do things no one else could, they tend to inject fun and energy back into their lives. My goal was to create a new product that facilitated a physical connection between both generations whilst improving physical health and well-being - drinking water is good for everyone of all ages!

Can you give us a brief summary of your background / career and where you would like to take your career in the future if you are a student?

I recently graduated with my masters in Product Design Engineering, which involved studying mechanical engineering at the University of Glasgow while also completing engineering design projects at the Glasgow School of Art. In addition to my study commitments I have volunteered as part of a small team at Handprints e-NABLE, designing, printing and fitting a custom elbow driven prosthetic for a young boy in Glasgow. From building robotic beer taps in Turkey to designing solutions improving efficiency in industrial power systems in China, to bringing a permanent water supply to a rural village in India, these internships have involved me in various projects across the world, involving diverse teams, different cultures and unique challenges. I enjoy the challenge of developing innovative solutions and thrive during collaborative work.

I am extremely passionate about promoting equality within STEM. This year I was President of the Female Engineering Society at the University of Glasgow; responsible for overseeing and organising events for around 100 members. We work to promote interest in engineering subjects for young people, in particular females, as they are underrepresented in the faculty.

I’m excited to start a graduate role at Koolmill - Koolmill technology leads the world in delivering a modern low power simplified and sustainable approach to cereal milling. Their vision is to transform a globally significant industry, move it to a sustainable future and lift millions from poverty. My first project investigates how to utilise Augmented Reality to service and build Koolmill machines remotely.

Is there anything else you think important worth mentioning about your design and why you developed it not covered by the questions above?

By utilising a simple light system, the ConnectedCups avoids the ever frequent loud and annoying phone notifications/messages. When one notices their cup lighting up, they are reminded of their loved one, and can enjoy a cup of water, tea or wine with them simultaneously!