The Aquaport is a modular device that can carry up to 90 liters of water. It consists of several modular units that are aligned along a metal axle. A 36" handle snaps onto the axle at either end. When the user pushes or pulls the device (or a combination of the two!) the units roll easily back to her home. Because of the rolling feature, the user feels as though she is transporting only 20 liters of water instead of 90!
Each modular unit (which our team dubbed "portlets" during one particularly creative group meeting) is designed to be durable yet easy to handle, practical and cost effective- not such an easy task when the device is meant to move 200 pounds of water over difficult terrain.
We took on these challenges by making multiple mock-ups of the design, and testing them for ease of lifting, filling at the water source, pouring once home, and assembling together. We also wanted a way for the units to lock together, so that they would not separate when rolled.
Also, We decided to turn the handles of each portlet into a locking feature, so that we could save plastic and create two functions with just one element of the design.
As the handles are designed to aid the user in lifting the device, the cap is designed to aid in collecting water and pouring. We developed a dual cap system of both a large cap and a small cap on top of it. When at the water source, the user unscrews the large cap, dunks the unit into the water to collect it, and screws it back on. To pour, the user flips open the small cap. With this design, the user can both collect at lot of water at once at the source and dispense a reasonable amount once home
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