Aquaduct

the main water bottle
capacitive touch sensers sensing water level
The full product with the water filler and water bottle with leaderboard posted

Inspiration: The idea for Aquaduct stemmed from a startling realization—75% of adults in America don’t drink enough water daily. As we dug deeper, we discovered that the lack of accessible, engaging hydration tools in the home was a major contributor. We wanted to create something that didn’t just remind people to drink water but actually made it easy and enjoyable.

What We Learned: Through this project, we gained hands-on experience integrating hardware and software, and learned how to design user-friendly systems that can promote better health habits. We explored new technologies like MQTT for wireless communication, used React to build an engaging front-end, and learned to troubleshoot a range of hardware and software challenges.

🛠️ How We Built It Aquaduct is a smart hydration station that combines several systems:

Capacitive touch sensors to detect water levels

ESP32-C6 microcontroller to process data and send it to a server

Step motors to control the flow of water

LEDs to visually signal water levels and refill needs

3.7V battery & 5V power supply to power our components

Wooden housing to keep it sleek, functional, and eco-friendly

We coded our hardware logic using Arduino IDE, connected everything via MQTT, and used React to build a gamified interface that encourages hydration through friendly competition.

Technical Challenges We hit a few roadblocks along the way:

3D printer failures cost us valuable hours

Our initial attempt to use a multiplexer for sensors failed, leading to signal issues

Designing a mechanism to start and stop water flow reliably took multiple revisions

SolidWorks access was delayed due to school VPN issues, slowing our CAD process

Despite these challenges, we pushed through with collaboration and creative problem-solving.