Drinking is a worldwide problem that's fast heading towards becoming a worldwide crisis. In many villages in Africa, the women have to walk for miles each day for a potful of water that's suitable for drinking. In most villages in India even walking that far won't get you a glassful of clean drinking water. But with the Hydros Bottle, there may only be a need to walk to your nearest supermarket or cyber cafe. (not that it'll be any shorter a walk, but at least one won't have to make it daily)
The Hydros Bottle was an effort by Wharton School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science of the University of Pennsylvania to provide purified water to increasingly mobile, urban people in the developing world. But a product that was originally born out of altruistic motives, soon found a business opportunity for itself as researchers pointed out that contaminated drinking water was not the problem of developing nations alone. Water flowing out of taps in many parts of the US are laced with dangerous levels of heavy metals and toxins. And so while the 700ml bottle will make its first appearance soon. It's going to start with the US markets.
A glance at the illustrative reference should be enough to tell you how the Hydros Bottle works. The filter attached to the mouth of the bottle is what purifies the water as it flows out of the bottle. The filter reduces arsenic, particulate and dissolved lead, mercury, copper, chlorine and cadmium.
Made for the urban dweller in developing nations, to be sold first in a developed country. But it's rather conservative pricing of $25, sure makes it an optimistic option for the rural markets in both developing and under-developed countries.
The recyclable filter needs a change once every 40 gallon at a cost of $6. Which also makes it a cheaper and a rather convenient substitute to bottled water. A potential life saver for mother nature who is flaying her green limbs for help in the sea of plastic bottles.
Just a thought though. Why not just sell a filter that can be attached to any glass bottle? And the fact that the developers didn't choose glass over plastic for the bottle itself is a tad disappointing. Nevertheless a great product.
