'Smart' beverage container doubles as thirst gauge

(Courtesy of Cambridge Consultants)

Are you thirsty? Are you sure? If you need an affirmation, a new water bottle claims that it can measure a variety of inputs to make sure that you never get dehydrated.

The completion of the design of the i-dration bottle, which synchs with a smartphone to help maintain optimum levels of hydration during workouts, was announced by Cambridge Consultants, a technology product design and development firm, on December 7.

According to the developer, drinking too much water can have an equally negative effect on athletic performance as drinking too little, and this device is aimed at preventing that. Useful data, including external temperature and drinking quantity and frequency is monitored through the bottle's grip sensors, and combined with data contained in a complementary smartphone interface or application. If your body is in need of fluids, a blue light comes on.

Cambridge calls the design a "hardware app" - that is, a tangible device that works in tandem with applications that perform virtual tasks - and says that such technology could potentially be used to enhance a range of products.

The product is not yet available in stores, but the design will be showcased at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on January 6-9.

North American brewing company Molson Coors recently introduced its "cold activated" bottle, which supposedly can sense when the beer it contains is cold enough for consumption.