Gatorade uses hydration tracking technology in new Smart Gx water bottle

04 Oct 2022 --- Gatorade has launched a Gx bottle that tracks personalized hydration needs and indicates to athletes when to drink with a light-up cap. The bottle is an addition to their Gx range, designed for athletes to fulfill their hydration needs, with an additional app and sweat patch for optimal recommendations. 

The smart cap lights up to remind athletes of their daily hydration goals and informs them of how they’re tracking in real-time. The suggestions catered to each user are gathered through data gathered from the individual’s sweat patch and app.

“It fully integrates into the Gx App, offering additional training, hydration and product recommendations. These key differences will impact the packaging industry as we are offering a smart bottle designed specifically with athletes in mind,” Drew Palin, senior director of Gatorade innovation, tells PackagingInsights. 

Gatorade claims the bottle is the world’s first smart squeeze bottle and the only smart bottle with light-up cap tracking. 

 Drew Palin, senior director of Gatorade innovation talks to PackagingInsights about its hydration tracking water bottle. Bottling sports and science together 
Palin spoke about what the bottle and its technology will offer the packaging industry as a whole. 

“The biggest impact the Smart Gx Bottle will have on the packaging industry is the importance of personalized fueling and hydration for athletes through a smart bottle that everyday athletes can have at home. The Gx System democratizes what was formerly only available to the most elite athletes with access to a lab with multiple sports scientists.”

The company drew from data collected at the Gatorade Sports Institute and research conducted with the Brazil National Soccer Team to create effective tracking methods. 

“Each individual’s recommendation will differ based on age, activity level, duration, temperature, altitude and individual sweat rate. The Smart Gx Bottle allows athletes to take the guesswork out of how much they’re drinking and is something that will support performance at all levels, not just the pros,” says Palin. 

Palin states that the biggest challenge in creating the bottle was ensuring its technology was comparable to what professional athletes have been offered. He stresses the importance of sharing coveted hydration features with all athletes. 

“The result is an LED-powered volume and consumption tracking system. The display offers lighting options that can be personalized by each user and a comfortable fingerprint design on the grip panels. Additionally, with the connection to the Gx app, a hydration schedule can be recommended based on sweat profile, activity, and environmental and heat conditions,” says Sean Huls, senior design director at PepsiCo. 

Past creations New smart water bottle from Gatorade features a light-up cap teaching athletes how to properly hydrate their bodies for optimal performance. 
Other bottles have been created with an integrated hydration tracker. Last year, Aptar partnered with REBO to create a reusable water bottle that tracked the users’ hydration using Bluetooth technology.

Their bottle functions using a sensor and a laser, and the Bluetooth-embedded cap tracks the amount of water the user consumes. 

However, Gatorade claims that by using its designed technology, the product is much more personalized than previous water intake tracking bottles. 

Reusable water bottles are standard for athletes since they require consistent hydration, whereas the spectators for sports functions often use disposable bottles. 

Outdoor sporting events contribute to the consumption of plastic bottles, estimated at 7.7 billion annually in the UK, as previously reported by PackagingInsights. 

By Sabine Waldeck

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