Gatorade Developing Smart Cap Tracking Technology For Custom Hydration

Gatorade, in collaboration with Smart Design, is developing a "first-of-its-kind hydration tracking and personalized sports fuel delivery system."

The technology gathers information using a bottle smart cap and chip-enabled skin patch, according to Mashable. The smart cap's microchip will share real-time hydration data and the skin patch works with an app to determine sweat level, electrolyte needs, and fluid intake requirements.

From these readings, an algorithm gives hydration suggestions, which correspond to different Gatorade formulas. The brand is creating 12 different egg-shaped pods which snap onto the bottle and deliver different combinations of electrolytes, carbohydrates, and calories.

The smart caps were first tested by Brazil's national soccer team during the 2014 World Cup, and an updated version will be released to professional athletes this summer. A commercially available version is projected to be released by 2017 or later.

Xavi Cortadellas, Gatorade's senior director of global innovation and design, says, "The next frontier of performance is personalized nutrition and integrating technology in sports. With Gatorade's customization platform, you have the personalization aspect, but you also have the technology with the bottle."