Water Rat Wins Good Design Award Gold: Transforming Remote Water Monitoring for Australian Agriculture
Farmo’s Water Rat, a breakthrough in remote water monitoring technology, has been awarded the prestigious Good Design Award Gold Winner in the Commercial and Industrial Product Design category at the 2022 Australian Good Design Awards. This accolade recognises the Water Rat’s outstanding design, innovation, and impact on the agricultural sector.
What is the Water Rat?
The Water Rat is a robust, wireless water level sensor designed for simple, reliable monitoring of water troughs and tanks in demanding farm environments. Developed by Farmo and designed in Australia, the device floats freely in the water. When the water level drops, the Water Rat tilts, triggering an instant low water alert sent directly to your mobile phone or PC via NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things) connectivity. Its design ensures easy installation—simply toss it in the trough or tether it in a tank—and high durability, even with curious livestock.
Award-Winning Design and Innovation
The Australian Good Design Awards are the nation’s highest honour for design and innovation, celebrating excellence across more than 30 categories and 11 design disciplines since 1958. The Water Rat stood out among hundreds of entries, evaluated by a panel of over 70 experts, for its clever use of accelerometer technology and low-power microprocessing to detect water level changes through tilt angle measurement.
Jury Comments:
“It is critical to monitor the availability of water to animals on a farm of any size. Applying the simple principle of replacing buoyancy with gravity by using an accelerometer and low power micro processing to detect a change in the tilt angle of a floating device within an animal’s water source is clever. But, when such a device can then send a low water alert to the users’ mobile phone or PC via narrowband signal, then it’s brilliant. With its robust enclosure, easy installation and ability to run on a single battery for over a year, the Water Rat is a must for anyone farming animals.”
Key Features of the Water Rat
-
Wireless Water Level Sensor: Monitors water troughs and tanks remotely, providing real-time alerts for low water levels.
-
Easy Setup: Simply throw it in the trough or tether it to a tank; no complex installation required.
-
Durable Design: Floats freely, avoiding damage from livestock, and features a robust, waterproof enclosure.
-
Long Battery Life: Operates for over a year on a single battery.
-
GPS Tracking: Updates its location daily, allowing easy movement between paddocks or troughs.
-
Farmo App Integration: View all devices, receive unlimited email alerts, and up to 20 SMS alerts per device per month.
-
NB-IoT Connectivity: Works wherever there is mobile coverage, with superior range and building penetration compared to standard 3G/4G.
-
30-Day Free Trial: Try the Water Rat on your farm risk-free.
Benefits for Farmers
-
Remote Water Monitoring: Receive instant alerts for low water levels, reducing the risk of livestock dehydration and improving animal welfare.
-
Efficient Water Management: Historical data helps identify troughs that frequently run dry, supporting better resource allocation and infrastructure upgrades.
-
Cost-Effective: No need to monitor every trough—move the Water Rat as you rotate mobs; ideal for large-scale operations.
-
Sustainability: Fits into sustainable grazing programs and supports environmental stewardship.
Recognised Impact
The Water Rat has also won the South-west Victorian Dairy Innovation Challenge and a local sustainability-environmental award, further highlighting its value to the agricultural community. It is included in the Farms of the Future Agtech Catalogue, making it accessible to NSW farmers through grant programs.
About the Australian Good Design Awards
The Australian Good Design Awards, managed by Good Design Australia, are the country’s oldest and most prestigious international design awards, recognising projects that demonstrate design excellence, innovation, and positive impact on business, society, and the environment.
Discover the Water Rat for your farm:
