HzO is the developer behind WaterBlock, a special coating that uses nanotechnology to make sure our favorite electronics stay working no matter what liquid we try to drown them in. HzO has been making the rounds of all of the technology trade shows this past year and has one numerous awards. Check out this video and you’ll easily see why:
QTOOTH had the honor of being an official media partner for the 2013 Wearable Technologies Conference. that was held as part of the Taiwan International Cloud Technology & Internet of Things Show. One of the cool things that was on display was the amazing properties of HzO’s waterproofing technique. I’ve certainly lost at least one cell phone to water immersion and, as a lifetime musician, have had at least several prized pieces of musical equipment ruined by the careless drink “placement” of excited audience members. Where were you then, HzO, where were you then?
How does it work? HzO uses a vapor process that allows a layer of their organic polymer coating to form a barrier around every component of a device, This makes it not only liquid proof, but also virtually eliminates humidity and corrosion from wreaking havoc with these sensitive, and often expensive, pieces of technology. And we’re not talking mere water resistance, either. We’re talking water immersion. HzO’s WaterBlock technology can even work at considerable depths. In fact, it seems the pressure of the deep will probably have an effect on crushing the device before the waterproofing give out.
There are two things we wanted to bring focus to concerning HzO’s WaterBlock. First, most wireless devices that we enjoy here at QTOOTH are meant for real world living. If wireless technology makes things wearable and integrated into everyday devices (a la Internet of Things) then they will absolutely need to be waterproof. Second, we are on this quest of making technology transparent and unobtrusive. Being toxic to the environment is hardly being transparent or unobtrusive. Luckily, HzO makes the point that their coating, which is made of organic polymer, has been FDA approved for use as “non-hazardous,” certifying each ingredient as being both non-toxic and bio-compatible for use in medical devices, such as implants inside the human body. Plus, Hzo Makes the point that the fewer electronics that are being dying prematurely due to immersion in liquid, the fewer devices end up a e-waste in landfills. Sounds good to us!
So when can you get your devices coated? Unfortunately not yet. HzO is focusing on working with manufacturers on new devices. They fill they can have the biggest, most pervasive effect by working with manufacturers during the assembly process so that their coating is done correctly from the start and performs to their high expectations. Perhaps someday soon either they’ll license it or develop a program that will retro-waterproof our current devices. But at least it’s good to know that in the near future, more and more of our devices will already be waterproof. In fact, we might just assume that they all are. Let’s hope so! Until then, where’s my clunky Otterbox for my iPhone…?
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