Clean Water Out of Thin Air

It’s difficult for many of us to imagine life without an abundance of clean, safe water. But for more than 1 billion people worldwide, water is a scarcity; one in three people do not have the daily minimum (7 cups) of water to survive; every day, nearly 1,000 children die for a lack of clean drinking water; and nearly 10,000 people die from waterborne diseases or dehydration daily. But a new device, developed in collaboration with UC Berkeley and the National Peace Corps Association, aims to change these statistics by generating clean water anywhere in the world.

WaterSeer is an inexpensive, low-tech device that extracts water directly from the atmosphere without the need for external power, costly chemicals or maintenance. The collection chamber is buried six feet underground, where the metal sides are cooled by the surrounding soil. A helical turbine funnels warm air into the chamber; as the air cools, water vapor forms on the sides and is captured in a reservoir. A simple hose and pump are then used to bring the water to the surface.

WaterSeer can reportedly generate up to 11 gallons of clean water per day, even in arid regions. Multiple generators may be grouped together to provide enough water for an entire community. Best of all, it costs only $134, and for every unit sold in the U.S., the company will donate one to be sent to an area of the world where clean water is scarce.