This talking fountain wants you to drink more H2O

The Drink Up Fountain — recently created by YesYesNo Interactive Studio in collaboration with Partnership for a Healthier America — dispenses entertaining greetings intended to encourage everyone to drink more water more often. While the Drink Up device may look like a regular fountain, it sure doesn’t sound like one.

When a drinker’s lips touch the water, the Arduino Mega (ATmega1280) powered fountain utters phrases like “Refreshing, isn’t it” and “Your feeding one trillion thirsty cells right now,” thereby completing a circuit and activating its built-in speakers. Once the drinker pulls his or her head away from the water, the circuit breaks and the fountain stops talking.

“Water is often taken for granted,” explained Drew Nannis, Partnership for America CMO. “The Drink Up Fountain is yet another effort to remind people that you are what you drink, and when you drink water you Drink Up.”

While there are currently only two talking fountains that will be moved around to various events and cities throughout the U.S., the goal is to make more fountains permanent fixtures in time. Drink Up recently set up a number of hidden cameras to catch unsuspecting individuals using the Atmel based fountain in New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge Park.