Zip HydroTap Touch-Free Wave

With COVID came emerging needs to create safer workplaces from employees wanting to feel confident about returning to work and employers requesting contactless solutions. The design challenge was how do we bring touch free capability to HydroTap whilst maintaining current aesthetic features and functionality using smart infra-red (IR) sensors. The design challenges faced were: - Fitting four infrared sensors into the tap head, which only has a diameter of 4.5cm so that they didn't intersect and confuse commands. - Accomodating environment, sunlight, and shadow variances. - Accomodating influence of steam condensing on IR sensor lenses. - Accomodating extreme reflective safety tapes on hi-visibility vests.

HydroTap Touch-Free Wave is the contactless version of the flagship HydroTap using proprietary smart sensor IR technology to dispense boiling, chilled, sparkling water 100% touch-free. To activate chilled or sparkling water, hold your hand within 1.5-5cm from the chilled or sparkling water sensor. Twin sensor activation provides a fool-proof contactless answer to the boiling water safety lock while still avoiding contact. Bottle-fill mode is available for chilled and sparkling water by using twin sensor activation where it will dispense continuously for 15 seconds. Smart contact technology will stop the flow of water if the tap is touched or grabbed.

HydroTap Touch-Free Wave addresses new needs for safer contactless workplace solutions in response to COVID. Since launching sales have exceeded expectations in Australia and UK. With accessibility in mind the design improves usability for vision impaired who have difficulty operating taps with levers/buttons and wheelchair users through addition of bottle-fill mode with continuous flow. Eric J Martin AM (accredited access consultant) wrote "One new contactless innovation that has carefully considered accessibility as part of the design process is the Zip HydroTap Touch-Free Wave". Powered by G5 technology it features customisable energy modes and usage settings for personalisation and sustainability.

HydroTap Touch-Free Wave core and distinctive features include: - Touch Free activation for 3-types of drinking water dispensing from one tap. - Contactless version of the boiling water safety lock using twin sensor activation so that boiling water is only dispensed once two of the sensors are engaged. - Smart management of IR sensors to accommodate varying light conditions including bright sunlight without diminishing the sensor range. - Unique micro heating demisting functions for eliminating sensor condensation effects on IR sensors. - Advanced settings to manage high visibility vests that have highly reflective tapes attached to the outside of the vests. - An auto adjustment algorithm to compensate for signal change due to movement of the sensors relative to the lenses. - Smart contact technology that locks all tap dispense functions out if you directly contact the tap either accidentally or when cleaning the surface of the tap. - Intuitive icons for water selection plus LED that indicates when your hand is within the correct range for water activation. - Twin sensor bottle-fill activation providing 15 seconds of continuous flow.