Scientific breakthrough creates drinking water out of thin air

MIT researchers have developed a new bubble wrap-like device that can produce clean drinking water out of thin air in some of the harshest conditions on Earth—all without requiring an external power source.

How it works: The device is made from a highly water-absorbant material called hydrogel that’s encased between two layers of glass.

• At night, the hydrogel absorbs water from the surrounding air. The water evaporates during the day, condensing on the cooler glass, where it then drips down to a collection system.

The device is making a splash

Until now, all attempts at harvesting water from thin air have been limited by a very low rate of water production (a few milliliters/day), and the risk of contamination from high levels of salt, lithium, or other materials used for the harvesting.

But when the new MIT device was tested in Death Valley, California—one of the driest places on Earth—it successfully extracted between 0.3-0.7 cups/day of safe-to-drink water.

• While that isn’t enough to sustain a person, let alone an entire household, the harvesters are small enough to set up multiple panels in one spot.
• They’ll also collect more water in places with higher humidity.

Big picture: ~26% of the world’s population lacks direct access to safe drinking water, according to a 2023 UN report.