Gallery: LifeFuels Smart Nutrition Bottle hands-on | 12 Photos
Gallery: LifeFuels Smart Nutrition Bottle hands-on | 12 Photos
The water bottle does work on its own, though. There's a smartwatch-sized display lodged in the center of the bottle, with a pair of buttons underneath to select supplements and subsequently order them into your drink. Both the screen and the motors responsible for dropping in the supplements can be recharged wirelessly, and according to a LifeFuels spokesman, this will have to be done every couple of days -- depending on how much you like to supplement your life. The company has struck deals with 40 different drinks brands: the pods will come in a range including vitamin supplements as well as flavorings like coconut water. The smart bottle also pairs to health and fitness apps including FitBit, MyFitnessPal and Apple Health, sharing nutrition and water intake metrics where it can. The hardware looks like a protein shake shaker, but once you pick it up you can tell the difference: those supplement pods and hardware add some weight.
While it's the company's first product, it didn't take the crowdfunding approach. Instead, the first round or preorders sold out "in their hundreds" and the team is now taking preorders for a second round -- alongside 10 supplement pods, the set is priced at $195. Understandable, then, that LifeFuels is focusing on athletes, gyms and personal trainers at this initial (and expensive) stage. The company is aiming for a wider retail launch later in 2016.