Future of Engineering

For most people getting a drink of water is a simple task that doesn`t take much thought, but until recently one Dickinson teen with cerebral palsy relied on everyone around him to keep him hydrated. That`s all changed thanks to a new invention.

For Mitch Hintz getting a drink of water has never been easy. He can`t hold a cup in his hands because of his spastic muscles. And he says he can`t place a glass on his wheelchair tray either.
"Cause then it would spill," Hintz says.

So for the past 16 years, wanting a drink meant calling on someone for help.

So Hintz mentioned to a teacher how much he would love to be able to drink water on his own. Word spread to an NDSU electrical engineering professor, and soon three engineering students took on the task of creating a device designed specifically to help him.

The Drink Aid delivers about an ounce of water at a time and kicks in once Hintz puts it into his mouth.

The NDSU students say the project took nearly a year to complete but in the end it was all worth it.

Hintz says now that he can drink on his own he does so at least several times a day.

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Labels: Automation, Design-Engineering