Oral Irrigator
For this exercise, we chose to focus on a consumer home healthcare device. The Waterpik™ WP100 is interesting because of the variable force pulsing jet to help clear away food particles. It is also in wide use and is a high-volume consumer product. Once we got into the “guts” of the product we were impressed by the thought that went into its design.
The outside design of the Waterpik™ is styled to have smooth, curved lines and be pleasing to the eye. Although this device would typically be found in the bathroom away from general view, the aesthetic design allows it to fit in nicely. The included tips store in the reservoir cover away from view and are protected from general handling. The press-in tips secure with a spring loaded detent. An “O-ring” seal in the handle prevents water leakage. Each tip has a 12-sided polygon-shaped key that prevents it from rotating after being installed. This locks the tip to the handle but the cap of the handle can turn via ratcheting detent. Presumably this is to allow the tip to be re-positioned while at the same time resist rotating from contact with the mouth. The detent provides tactile feedback if something moves during use. Putting this feature into the handle rather than in each tip saves part cost and complexity. Finally, there is a momentary-contact shutoff valve in the handle that allows the user to stop water flow by pressing a button. It doesn’t latch so we believe its intent is to provide a momentary water flow stop while repositioning the device in the user’s mouth…………
