Introducing the Mark IV AidPod

A comparison of the cross-section of the Mark III (right) and Mark IV (left) AidPods. Hand-written numbers are volume calculations.

I was ruthless in the way I took advantage of a visit from my daughter over the weekend. Sorry (and thanks) Emma! You see, she can use Adobe Illustrator and I can’t (note to self: must make time to learn how to use Adobe Illustrator). Anyway, with me on scissors, glue, pencil, profile gauge and ruler and Emma on the computer we have come up with Mark IV of the AidPod.

Over the last few weeks as video and pictures have come back to me of the Mark III AidPod in crates in Africa, it had become apparent that some modification of the cross-section were required for it to fit properly between the necks of the bottles in crates. Thanks to Wes Browning of SemaFilms for the video clips and to all the people who have sent me photos and commentaries.

I only have one African Coca-Cola bottle and it is incredibly difficult to get an accurate cross-section of it but I think we have managed. Here are the Adobe Illustrator files Emma created in .AI and .PDF formats for those who are interested:

• bottleoutlinetanzania350mlx6withpods.ai
• bottleoutlinetanzania350mlx6withpods.pdf

The image with this post compares the cross-section of the Mark III with that of the new Mark IV. The key problem with the Mark III was that it was too deep and hit the crate divider before it was fully inserted. I have compensated for having to shorten the AidPod and the thin end by making it slightly taller (and the fat end). There is a reduction in volume but the Mark IV still has a capacity of just over half a litre. Looking at these cross-sections again as I type this, I realise that the top section of the new Mark IV could probably be a bit wider – we’ll see.