Ergonomics Final paper on Water Bottle

Ergonomical Aspects of Water Bottle In Terms Of Usage: Ergonomics Interventions, Advancements and Suggested Design Manish Kumar Department of Fashion Technology, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai Abstract Water bottle is a one of the most common product used by almost everyone in this world. It allows an individual to transport and carry a beverage from one place to another. This brief Paper is about the factors which is responsible for designing any bottle for e.g. – Opening of bottle, Bottle diameter, Shape of bottle, Type of closure, Ridges around the bottle, material used. All these factors are responsible for making the product ergonomically suitable. There are numerous attempts towards the advancements of bottle design like tear drop cap, Sidel bottle, Eco-coke design etc which is discussed in detail in this paper. Keywords: Eco-coke, Ridges, Water Lips, Eco-Fina 1. Introduction Every bottle manufacturer on this planet has jumped on the “ergonomics bandwagon” by releasing new and improved “ergonomic” versions of the same old products. By releasing a new “ergonomically” designed product, a bottle manufacturer not only catches consumers’ attentions with a colourful and curvy new design, companies are also showing consumers that they care about our well being. They want people to have a more pleasant and healthy relationship with their product. The problem is, most of these ergonomically designed products are just hype with little or no ergonomic science behind them, designed to evoke a certain emotion from the consumer so they will get excited about tired old products and buy them again. Apart of marketing moves, continuous experiments is being carried out to make bottles ergonomically improved. The main concern is that people do not care much about ergonomics; they just make themselves comfortable with any poorly designed product -i.e. - why we see very less effort towards ergonomics. 2. Parts of a Bottle Cap Neck Middle grip Base 2.1 Cap Cap is for closure of bottle. It prevents water to spill out once it is used and closed. Caps are usually made up of plastic. Caps for plastic bottles are often made of a different type of plastic than the bottle. Screw caps are most common type of cap, which functions on the torque applied to the cap. There are noticeable ridges around the outer surface of cap which provides friction while applying torque for opening the cap. Closure lining material is also used at the inner top of the cap which is responsible for tight closing of cap. Foamed polyethylene (F217) is one of the closure lining material, Commonly used with plastic screw caps. F-217 is a soft polyethylene foam core covered on top and bottom with solid, clear polyethylene supplied in 0.050 inch thickness. F217 has become the industry standard due to its all purpose compatibility, resilient, compressible seal, cleanliness (no pulp dust) and economy. F217 liners have excellent chemical resistance and a low moisture transmission rate. F217 has good taste and odour resistance. (Bottle cap, 2012) 2.2 Neck Neck of bottle acts as a bridge. It allows water to flow out of the bottle. There are different shapes of neck available varies with different brands. 2.3 Middle Grip This is the part which allows consumer to hold the bottle. It often has some branding around the bottle. Usually the diameter of middle grip is the lesser than the base of the bottle. Because lesser the diameter, more the surface area covered by palm hence more the friction, which results as better grip to hold the bottle. 2.4 Base It allows the bottle to rest on the surface. Base design also varies with brands. The main purpose of base is to provide stability to the bottle when it is at rest. (Designing the bottle) 3. Ergonomical Intervention Ergonomics plays a very crucial role while designing a bottle. Be it shape, opening hole, ridges or type of opening. The hollow cylindrical shape of the bottle allows the consumer to hold it with one hand drink from it with physical comfort. Also, its plastic cap allows water storage for later use and portability without the consumer having to worry about spilling. The bottle's transparency gives the bottle clear and pure aspects like that of drinking water itself, giving visual comfort to its consumers. The form of the plastic bottle allows for the consumer's safety. Because of its round cylindrical shape, the plastic bottle can be used without causing any physical harm when it comes into contact with the consumer. Although there are some companies that choose a square form with edges for their plastic water bottles (such as Fuji water), the bottle is designed so that the 90 degree angles where the sides meet are rounded out to allow physical comfort and avoid harm upon contact. (Ergonomics of water bottle, 2010) 3.1 Surface design Ridges or reinforcement rings are the example of surface design on bottles. It has aesthetical as well as functional purposes. It provides better grip to hold the bottle when they are drinking or picking it up and strength to the bottle so that it doesn’t deform during usage. 3.2 Ease of opening cap Opening of cap is most common problem faced by consumers because sometimes it gets too tight to be opened. The bottle top or lid has been designed with tiny lines or bumps around the edges so that it can help a user open the bottle when they want to drink or fill it up (Use of ergonomic and anthropometric data). It helps with grip which is particularly good for older people or users that suffer from arthritis. 3.3 Opening hole In a regular practice, Bottled water opening hole comes in lesser diameter of opening because smaller opening of bottle allows the consumer to fit their lips at the opening. Smaller opening also regulates the optimum amount of water to pass, which prevents the consumers from choking of waters. The hole at the top of the bottle where people drink from is just the right size for water to come out so that a user can drink and fit their mouth around it.  28mm opening is considered as a standard opening of bottle across the world. 3.3.1 Japanese Study on standard opening size of bottles The majority of Japanese consumers believe that the opening of bottles (28mm) are too small, a study has found, while also determining that 33mm is the optimum size for ‘drinking ease’. The study was based on Optimal drinking ease which is ideal volume of beverage flowing into the mouth, at which consumers feel most comfortable while drinking directly from bottles. Evaluation function of drinking ease was difference between the actual volume of fluid in the mouth and the expected ideal volume. Although the major drawback of the study, it was conducted on only 18 university students as subject. They should have included people from all ages. Children would perhaps prefer smaller openings. Another drawback was they didn’t consider the type of beverage during the study. Bottle opening dimensions changes according to the beverage type; one can’t drink carbonated water in big gulps while juices can be consumed in a go. (Bouckley, 2012) 3.4 Shape of Bottle Shape varies from Brand to brand but eventually it follows the design similar to the cylindrical shape. Shape of a bottle plays a vital role in ergonomics of a bottle. The shape of a bottled water package is perhaps the most noticeable aspect. Although the standard bottle shape is still fairly prevalent, other forms such as pouches and cartons are gaining momentum. Additionally, the shape of the standard plastic bottle is being modified to include complex contours and swirls. (N. NOBLE L. PAUU, 2009) 3.5 Diameter of the bottle Lesser the diameter of bottle more is the grip or surface contact which prevents the bottle to slip out of the hand. Larger bottles are not so easy to use because it may need both hands to hold the bottle. Larger bottles are not so easy to use, larger diameter is the clear reason behind it because of less surface area contacted. 4. Advancements in bottle design 4.1 Tear drop cap It is designed by Shao-Nung Chen. It provides ease of opening cap, lesser effort to unscrew the cap. Elongated area provides greater friction to rotate the cap for opening easily. This is not fully commercialized and it is experimented on coke bottles. It’s ergonomic and smooth. (The teardrop Bottle Cap) (Easy to Open Bottle Cap, 2011) (Easy Cap!) 4.2 Bottle with best middle grip It is also named as “bottle with a feminine waist”. It is designed by Tridimage, USA and patented by Sidel in 2004 (US Patent 6695162). The plastic bottle has a body that is cylindrical between the bottom of the bottle and the shoulder area, and is provided with reinforcing rings composed of a groove made around the body of the bottle. Reinforcing rings for better grip and to provide effective protection against crushing upon opening. The groove has a peripheral profile of a constant simple curve. (ERGONOMICS IN BOTTLE DESIGN) Central part has a peripheral profile with a concavity turned toward the outside of the bottle, the upper and lower parts each have a concavity turned toward the inside of the bottle. It provides better grip for holding the bottle. Additionally the structure prevents the reinforcing rings/groove from becoming deformed under the effect of internal pressure. (Michel Boukobza, 2004) 4.3 Bottle with unique shape The silhouette bottle is designed by Martin Broen from Italy. The Back part is dedicated to maximize the handling comfort by offering in the centre a reduced gripping area. (Steeman, ERGONOMICS IN BOTTLE DESIGN (PART 02)) At an angle the grip area facilitates the pouring action. Spherical lower surface that fits in the palm of the hand and provides greater grip. Upper surface that helps loading the weight on the hand reducing the grabbing force needed. Martin Broen intended to create a packaging that offers an ideal gripping geometry, a distinctive shape and strong presence. (reinvent, 2007) 4.4 Eco-friendly Bottle Bottled water brand Aquafina, manufactured by PepsiCo, is debuting a new bottle called Eco-Fina that uses 50 percent less plastic and provides the most lightweight half-litre water bottle on the market. Using a patented spider web technology, they designed a flexible lightweight bottle that uses 50% less plastic than the 2002 version. Now, they've improved the design and the bottle is sturdier than the previous one. The new bottle will save an estimated 75 million pounds of plastic annually. (Eco-fina Bottle) In another development, 24 packs of Aquafina will no longer come with a cardboard base. This is expected to save 20 million pounds of corrugated cardboard each year. (Granger, 2009) 4.5 Square shaped bio degradable bottle Designer Andrew Kim has created a new Eco Coke concept bottle that minimizes the packaging’s environmental footprint while maximizing its efficiency. (Farmer, 2010) The square bottles are more collapsible, fit tightly with other bottles for efficient shipping and stocking, and are made from sugar based bio plastic. Kim claims that the new design has the potential to eliminate the carbon footprint of shipping 320 million bottles a year. The bottle features a cavity at the bottom, enabling multiple bottles to be stacked. It will increase efficiency during transport and reduces the amount of space needed in retail. The cap is positioned at an offset for more comfortable drinking position. (Square Coca-Cola Bottle Concept, 2010) (Getting All Square with Coke) 4.6 Bottle with unique base Sidel StarLite is a uniquely shaped base that increases the overall resistance and stability of PET bottles (Caliendo, 2014). It also reduces the amount of PET material needed to produce the finished bottle, allowing for reduced wall thickness for an optimum strength-to-weight ratio. (SIDEL STARLITE™ BASE LEADS TO LIGHTER WEIGHT AND BETTER PERFORMANCE FOR CARBONATED SOFT DRINKS BOTTLES, 2014) The result is a bottle that uses less raw materials and therefore weighs less, requiring less energy to produce, yet delivering better pallet stability and improved bottle integrity throughout the entire supply chain. The new design includes four key patents covering the slopes, ridges and truncations of the bottle base. The Sidel StarLite bottle base uses two proprietary PET design innovations: the Edge Beam™ and the Smart Disc™. The Edge Beam is a specific groove structure that improves base stiffness while the Smart Disc reinforces the base to prevent deformation. (INTRODUCING THE SIDEL STARLITE™ BOTTLE BASE) 4.7 Stainless Steel Bottles Klean canteen is the best available stainless steel bottle in terms of ergonomics. It has none of the potential chemical issues of plastic and none of the weight and durability issues of glass. It comes with electro polished interiors to help keep the bottles from taking on the smells or tastes of the liquids you put in them (and vice versa). It comes with an insulating vacuum layer sandwiched between two layers of stainless steel to prevent outside heat from warming up the bottle’s contents. Its 1.75-inch opening is just big enough to fit almost any ice cube you throw at it, but not so wide that you’ll spill water everywhere if you try to sip on the go. Another upside to the size of the opening is that it allows air to flow into the vessel while water flows out of it as you tip it back to drink. This makes for a strong, steady stream of water with no annoying stops and starts to the flow. It lacks the Grip factor of bottle because of steel body. 5. Health Risk of Bottles Frequent drinking from water bottles could cause "water lips“. (Gandy, 2008) When you're drinking from a water bottle, you're pretty much making the same face as you are when you're smoking a cigarette. Over the time that face creates permanent lines. People, who drink from water bottles with either sport or straw tops or nozzles, consistently, all day long, for about two years, will start to develop noticeable smoker’s lips. 6. Suggested Design of Bottle Proposed design is ideal for people who used to carry bottle regularly. It is meant to be reused. The material used for bottle is stainless steel with electro polished interiors to help keep the bottles from taking on the smells or tastes of the liquids you put in them (and vice versa). Outer surface of bottle will be PET coated with matte finish for better grip. Offset opening for ease of drinking with less tilt angle. Tear drop cap is used to provide more friction while unscrew the cap. Curved middle grip, so that surface contact with palm will be increased and hence more will be friction, results as better grip of bottle. 7. Acknowledgement This paper was written as a part of the course curriculum of Bachelor of Fashion Technology degree and was mentored by Dr. V. Senthil Kumar, Associate Professor, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai. 8. Bibliography Bottle cap. (2012, October). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottle_cap Bouckley, B. (2012, August 17). Processing and packaging. Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.beveragedaily.com: http://www.beveragedaily.com/Processing-Packaging/Japanese-study-finds-optimum-aluminum-bottle-opening-size-for-Coke-drinkers?utm_source=copyright&utm_medium=OnSite&utm_campaign=copyright Caliendo, H. (2014, June 10). Sidel launches carbonated drinks option for its PET bottle base. Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.plasticstoday.com: http://www.plasticstoday.com/articles/sidel-launches-carbonated-drinks-option-for-its-PET-bottle-base-140610 Designing the bottle. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from The86co.com: http://www.the86co.com/pdf/the86co-Ergonomic-Bottle.pdf Easy Cap! (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.yankodesign.com: http://www.yankodesign.com/2011/05/05/easy-cap/ Easy to Open Bottle Cap. (2011, May 6). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.toxel.com: http://www.toxel.com/tech/2011/05/06/easy-to-open-bottle-cap/ Eco-fina Bottle. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.aquafina.com: https://www.aquafina.com/refreshed-commitment.php# Ergonomic Product Design: Marketing Hype vs. Real Ergonomics…and Does it Matter? (n.d.). Retrieved December 13, 2015, from The Ergonomenon: http://ergonomenon.com/ergonomics-articles/ergonomic-product-design-marketing-hype-vs-real-ergonomicsand-does-it-matter-2/ Ergonomics of water bottle. (2010, November 13). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from Danieldaq: Design: http://danieldaq.blogspot.in/2010/11/ergonomics-of-water-bottle.html Farmer, T. (2010, July 4). Collapsible, Biodegradable Coke Bottle Proves it's Hip to Be Square. Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.inhabitat.com: http://inhabitat.com/collapsible-biodegradable-coke-bottle-proves-its-hip-to-be-square/ Gandy, S. (2008, June 2). Frequent drinking from water bottles could cause "water lips". Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.9news.com: http://archive.9news.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=92851 Getting All Square with Coke. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.yankodesign.com: http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/03/23/getting-all-square-with-coke/ Granger, T. (2009, March 30). New Aquafina Bottles Reduce Plastic Use by 50 Percent. Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.earth911.com: http://www.earth911.com/food/new-aquafina-bottles-reduce-plastic-use-by-50-percent/ INTRODUCING THE SIDEL STARLITE™ BOTTLE BASE. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.sidel.com: http://www.sidel.com/about-sidel/media/inline-magazine/introducing-the-sidel-starlite%E2%84%A2-bottle-base Michel Boukobza, V. L. (2004). Patent No. US6695162 B1. USA. N. NOBLE L. PAUU, C. M. (2009). Packaging Trends for Bottled Water. Journal of Applied Packaging Research , 3. reinvent. (2007, December 20). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.designboom.com: http://www.designboom.com/project/silhouette-2/ SIDEL STARLITE™ BASE LEADS TO LIGHTER WEIGHT AND BETTER PERFORMANCE FOR CARBONATED SOFT DRINKS BOTTLES. (2014, June 2). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.sidel.com: http://www.sidel.com/about-sidel/media/news-press-releases/2014/starlite-csd Square Coca-Cola Bottle Concept. (2010, March 31). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.toxel.com: http://www.toxel.com/tech/2010/03/31/square-coca-cola-bottle-concept/ Steeman, A. (n.d.). ERGONOMICS IN BOTTLE DESIGN. Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.bestinpackaging.com: http://bestinpackaging.com/2013/07/21/ergonomics-in-bottle-design/ Steeman, A. (n.d.). ERGONOMICS IN BOTTLE DESIGN (PART 02). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.bestinpackaging.com: http://bestinpackaging.com/2013/07/24/ergonomics-in-bottle-design-part-02/ The teardrop Bottle Cap. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from All Thing about: http://allthingabout.blogspot.in/2011/05/teardrop-bottle-cap.html Use of ergonomic and anthropometric data. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from www.benjenkins.weebly.com: http://benjenkins.weebly.com/c13-use-of-ergonomic-and-anthropometric-data.html 1