Project developed in partnership with Gizmo Engineering
The Idea
Traditional water guns rely on repeated manual pumping, which limits both range and how long the fun lasts. This project replaced the hand pump with a high-output electric pump, fed by a removable backpack water tank and powered by lithium batteries — so the user pulls the trigger and gets a continuous stream.
The Engineering Paradox: Electronics Inside a Water Product
This is the project's defining challenge. The whole product exists to spray water, and inside it live an electric pump, lithium batteries, and a controller. The expected failure is not "if" but "when" — so the design assumes water will eventually reach everywhere:
- Physical separation between the electronics compartment and the water path, not just a seal between them.
- Designed drainage — water that gets in needs a way out, or it sits and corrodes. A sealed compartment that leaks is worse than a drained one.
- Moisture-resistant connectors, with the charging port placed at the highest, most protected point.
- Battery protection — lithium cells require a protection circuit against shorts and faulty charging. In a water product this is a safety requirement, not an add-on — a core concern of electronics development.
The Backpack and the Weight
Water is heavy — a liter is a kilogram, roughly two pounds a quart. A backpack tank shifts the load from the hands to the body and allows far greater capacity, but it adds two challenges: an ergonomic carry design that distributes the load, and managing a center of gravity that shifts as the tank empties during play. The hose between tank and blaster was routed so it neither snags nor tugs during movement.
Development Scope
- Mechanics and hydraulics: the water path, seals, the trigger, and the tank coupling.
- Electronics and power: pump drive, battery management, and charging.
- Industrial design: grip, proportion, and a consumer-product look — see industrial design.
- Design for manufacturing: injection-molded plastic parts at volume — see new product development.
What It Demonstrates
A consumer product is judged not only on function but on surviving careless use — because that is how it actually gets used.
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Photos from the project
