MIAMI – “Enhanced Hydration” – that’s what one South Florida company is promising it can do with water -- amplifying its natural properties to transform it into a liquid supplement and antioxidant.
In this week’s “Technically Speaking,” Local 10′s Gio Insignares walks us through some chemistry, explaining how that process works and why the company believes it can change the way the world drinks water.
Water, redefined is the goal behind Weo, a water science company now based in Miami.
“Our mission is to change the world,” Weo CEO Anthony Ginter said. “We discovered that water can do more, so we invested, and we invented the concept of augmenting water. We augment the properties of water.”
That process of “augmenting” water involves a bit of chemistry called electrolysis, which is the process of using electricity to pass through a substance and effect a chemical change.
In this case, it’s water splitting it into hydrogen and oxygen, allowing for a change at the molecular level.
“We do not take out anything from water, we do not add anything to water. We act on the molecule by itself,” Ginter said.
Weo uses specific materials to get this done, like special silicone and their own lab-grown diamonds.
As a result, the patented technology featuring diamond-coated electrodes produces a unique water that has amplified health benefits, according to the company.
“We use these diamonds that we produce in machines into an electrochemical process. And by doing so, thanks to these very specific materials, we can free up the bio elements that are in the water,” Ginter said.
Through years of research and testing on plants, animals, and now humans, Ginter says the company has learned how to calibrate water to fit a specific need, like longer lifespan for animals and faster production rates on farms, adding that they’ve seen positive effects across all spectrums.
Now, Weo is taking center stage with its first commercial product -- the Weo Bottle -- hoping to showcase its water technology and prove what it can do.
It works by filling the reusable bottle with drinking water, connecting the bottle to the Weo app, then pressing and holding the button at the bottom to activate electrolysis.
With the company’s technology embedded in the bottle, it takes about 20-30 seconds for the process to complete.
After it’s done, the water should look a little different – cloudy – meaning it’s ready to drink.
Along with the ability to self-clean and track drinking habits, Weo believes the bottle is representative of the company’s larger goals.
“We’re made of water,” Ginter said. “DNA is a very, very little portion of your cells. It’s less than 1% of your cells. All the rest are water molecules. And nobody is investing in them.”
There’s a belief this work is a step toward the future. That it will protect people’s health and can make a significant impact for generations.
“In the future, we are not going to drink water that just hydrates. We’re going to drink a water that takes care of ourselves and helps us fight against external threats,” Ginter said.
Weo has already raised millions of dollars in funding and alongside the water bottle, the company plans to manufacture other in-house products.
Additionally, the vision is to embed Weo technology into existing appliances, such as refrigerators, showerheads, water dispensers, or any other kind of product people can have access to.