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New Device Condenses Drinking Water Out of Thin Air

guardian.co.uk — The company, Element Four, has developed a machine that can 'create' water out of thin air. Their creation, the WaterMill, uses the electricity of about three light bulbs to condense moisture from the air and purify it into clean drinking water. This device could be a boon for areas that have scarce access to drinking water.

Who dugg this? Made popular Nov 23, 2008

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  • allowners, on 11/23/2008, -3/+119Sounds like a glorified dehumidifier.
  • inactive, on 11/23/2008, -1/+79My leaking air conditioner can do that
  • TheCosmicFool, on 11/23/2008, -1/+60Uncle Owen was talking about getting a couple more of these for his moisture farm..
  • pwdrskier, on 11/23/2008, -0/+34either brilliant or blown out of proportion
  • Renton, on 11/23/2008, -0/+31By reading the article, I've come to the brilliant conclusion that this device ceases to be effective below about 30 per cent relative humidity levels.
  • lopla, on 11/23/2008, -2/+31$10 hepa filter + $100 dehumidifier + $30 UV sterilizer + $25 post filter = $165

    Their device for $1,200 = laughing all the way to the bank.
  • m4csrgh3yk3v, on 11/23/2008, -1/+21no child left behind
  • Amlethus, on 11/23/2008, -1/+20I feel like Digg has let me down. It took 8 comments before someone referenced Star Wars.
  • BossKey, on 11/23/2008, -0/+17>Too soon?

    It was a long, long time ago.
  • pradaaddict, on 11/23/2008, -0/+16Wow if thats what it can do with thin air just imagine what it could do with thick air!
  • Feep, on 11/23/2008, -2/+15Dune.
  • Jareth86, on 11/23/2008, -1/+14I have one in my basement. Its called a "dehumidifier".
  • T8erT0T, on 11/23/2008, -2/+14Uncle Owen should shut his darn trap if he knows what's good for him and doesn't wanna end up a charred kebab. Too soon?
  • Phazon77, on 11/23/2008, -0/+9Err.. well, it doesn't convert air into water. It removes the moisture from the air. There is always a factor of humidity in the air at all times. Just before it rains it would be at 99.9%, for example. This extracts the "steam" if you will from the air and converts it into drinkable water.
  • blackmesa, on 11/23/2008, -0/+9"Ritchey points out that at $0.3 per litre, it is much cheaper than bottled water and would pay for itself in a couple of years. "

    Yet I pay $0.00161 per litre for filtered tap water.
    They're not even selling it in countries where tap water is costly or difficult to come by.You would have to be rich, stupid AND love wasting energy to buy this.
  • dellegazze, on 11/23/2008, -0/+9air isn't O2. Air is a heterogeneous mixture of Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, and a bunch of other gases.
  • inactive, on 11/23/2008, -0/+8Yeah, these have been around for a long time. Google search: Ecola Blue. They work. The energy efficiency here is amazing, though, which I guess is the selling point.
  • kerbe6, on 11/23/2008, -3/+11There would be no impact on nature. Hah. How many people do you think are going to be using these..?
  • Mikidogo, on 11/23/2008, -0/+7He who controls the spice ...
  • thepoliticalcat, on 11/23/2008, -5/+12What will it do to the precipitation rate and groundwater?
  • BossKey, on 11/23/2008, -0/+6In the mountains of South America, communities do this by stringing up a large surface area of woven netting that directs and collects the considerable morning dew into a water storage and distribution system.
  • zanthius, on 11/23/2008, -2/+8Now we can start mining SPICE....
  • diemodemdie, on 11/23/2008, -1/+7Pfft...Fallout 3 already came up with this.
  • TheGuruStud, on 11/23/2008, -0/+5Yep, recycled dinosaur piss is my poison.
  • Super6, on 11/23/2008, -1/+6This is nothing new. I know a guy in talks with the Dubai government to sell machines that do this on a massive scale. Not to mention that, as others said, this is just a glorified dehumidifier.
  • inotocracy, on 11/23/2008, -0/+5What are you babbling about? Geez.
  • IronDonut, on 11/23/2008, -0/+5This is also known as a dehumidifier. They have been around for about 75 years now.

    People really will fall for anything won't they?
  • walshgopher, on 11/23/2008, -0/+4except that water will be full of dust particles, and possibly rust and legionnaires disease
  • Meocross, on 11/23/2008, -0/+4Brilliantly Blown out of Proportion.
  • smurfsahoy, on 11/23/2008, -0/+4It's safe to say that 99.999% of the water you drink is recycled pee, unless your tap runs on melted comet dust.
  • TheMachine1, on 11/23/2008, -0/+4Is it drying out your weed harvest?
  • Memnochxx, on 11/23/2008, -0/+4Dune fans beat you this time. Must be the Atreides prescience.
  • aerobroken, on 11/23/2008, -2/+6I would be more apt to use this device then the one they are going to be using on the space station, not really thrilled about drinking recycled pee, mine or anyones really. :) Nice Share..
  • inactive, on 11/23/2008, -0/+4places that have scarce drinking water also often have scarce electricity.
  • newman8r, on 11/23/2008, -0/+3I think Luke Sywalker did this, but that was a long time ago...
  • algaeturd, on 11/23/2008, -2/+5But can it make the water HOT? You know, like for babies. Hot water for babies.
  • smurfsahoy, on 11/23/2008, -0/+3$50 plastic bucket with tubing = $50 and Zero electricity.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_sand_filter
  • cuoops, on 11/23/2008, -0/+3Anything that condenses the air gets very dirty. I bet the upkeep on this is a pain.
    http://www.elementfour.com/products/the-watermill
  • Elbryan233, on 11/23/2008, -0/+3That thing better tell jokes, too.
  • happywaffle, on 11/23/2008, -1/+4What I need is a droid that understands the binary language of moisture vaporators.
  • saikyan, on 11/23/2008, -1/+4But I was going to the Toshi station to pick up some power converters!
  • sanman, on 11/23/2008, -1/+4yes, he'll show us that he can walk on water, after he condenses it from the air
  • acliffhang3r, on 11/23/2008, -0/+3provides surprise buttsecks
  • 9bpm9, on 11/23/2008, -0/+3Whatever happened to that one device that could purify anything into water?
  • Dougman82, on 11/23/2008, -0/+3Ok, now I'm gonna proceed to laugh myself to sleep
  • suntzusputnik, on 11/23/2008, -0/+2in other words, moisture vaporators
  • rolf, on 11/23/2008, -1/+3It can only capture the water in the air, not create it. Check the humidity levels of the areas in question, consider the temperature (higher the temperature, the more water each extra % of humidity is carrying), and you have your answer.
  • yvrview, on 11/23/2008, -1/+3what happens when a billion of us are sucking the moisture out of the air? this is absolutely NOT an unlimited supply, we live in an enclosed environment.
  • scratend0788, on 11/23/2008, -1/+3this was on the dragons den, they said it tated awfull
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