MIT engineers created a device that extracts drinking water from air using hydrogel and passive cooling techniques. This bubble-wrap-inspired design captures vapor at night and releases condensed water during the day without needing external power. Stabilizing the hydrogel with glycerol ensures the harvested water meets U.S. safety standards. This scalable and off-grid solution addresses the crisis faced by 2.2 billion people lacking access to safe water. Successfully tested in Death Valley, researchers plan to optimize the technology for wider deployment in regions with water scarcity.
The device mimics natural processes by absorbing atmospheric water vapor at night using a hydrogel-based material shaped like bubble wrap, maximizing surface area.
With 2.2 billion people lacking safe water, this scalable, off-grid solution bypasses infrastructure failures and empowers self-reliance.
Tested for a week in Death Valley, the device produced up to two-thirds of a cup of water daily (57-161.5 milliliters) and could scale to household use.
Early contamination risks were solved by stabilizing hydrogel with glycerol, making harvested water safe under U.S. safety thresholds.
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