Developed in New York, on show in the Waikato

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For immediate release

10 February 2017

Developed in New York, on show in the Waikato

We’ve all had ideas about what the future is going to look like. Many of them have come to life already as smart technology. There are fridges that talk to you, apps that count your steps, and self-driving cars (nearly).

Industrial designer Alexander Wastney says smart technology should be about creating products, and leveraging the experiences we have with them, for the right reasons.

“We’re able to make physical products a lot smarter these days, but I don’t think there’s any point in making them smarter just because we can,” he says. “Smart technology should be strategic. It involves really thinking about what your end user’s needs are, and designing for that need – not just creating something you hope will have mass appeal.”

Mr Wastney and his wife Kristin are the talent behind design consultancy Designwell Ltd. Having spent four years living in New York and London, they’ve returned home, armed with ideas and experience, and set up shop in Hamilton.

Mr Wastney will be at Waikato Innovation Park’s upcoming Waikato Technology Showcase, exhibiting one of the “strategic” technologies he helped develop in New York – a Gatorade bottle that measures and records real-time fluid consumption during an athlete’s training and matches.

An example of the Internet of Things (IoT), where everyday objects are equipped with technology to send and receive data, Mr Wastney says the Gatorade project shows how technology can heighten the experience of using everyday “things”.

He’s been working on the project for a few years now, and it was initially developed when he was working at New York design consultancy Smart Design.

“The project is designed around the premise that each athlete has a unique physiology with individualised needs when it comes to the nutrition they need to reach peak performance. Smart Design partnered with Gatorade to help create a system that personalises athletes’ nutrition to match their performance needs.

“The bottle uses a proprietary turbine sensor to measure fluid consumption. All tracking data is transmitted from the bottle’s cap to the system via wireless Bluetooth communication.

“The coaching staff can then monitor athletes’ fluid intake and fluid loss and better guide their fluid, fuel and electrolyte replacement recommendations based on their individual needs. This helps ensure peak performances during training and matches.”

Mr Wastney says it’s this kind of design technology he’s excited to see develop in the Waikato.

“The Waikato region has built strong IoT capabilities in the agri-tech space and it’s exciting to see how this could be applied to different sectors across New Zealand and abroad.”

The Waikato Technology Showcase is on Thursday 16 February at Waikato Innovation Park, 9 Melody Lane (off Ruakura Rd) in Hamilton, 9.15am – 3.15pm. The event is free, but registrations are encouraged on Eventbrite.co.nz by searching Waikato Technology Showcase.

Follow the event on Twitter #WIPTechShow

-ENDS-

About Designwell
Designwell is a multi-disciplinary design consultancy based in Hamilton, New Zealand. They offer design services across design strategy, brand, product and spatial design and use human-centred design thinking processes to drive innovation. They bring expert knowledge and international experience to their clients, providing them with design solutions that are integrated and have a clear brand story across all user touch points. They help businesses understand the entire user journey, identifying opportunities in that experience for innovation.

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