Count on Israel to continue being awesome:
“an Israeli firm has designed a device that produces clean drinking water from ambient air”
Water from ambient air? I call that a win!
Obviously this is something we can all understand. We all know there’s ambient water in the air. We call it humidity and it’s why everyone avoids Galveston in August. There are ways to harvest it. If you’re something of a windowlicker you can gather water on a cold but humid summer morning. We call it dew and anyone who’s slept under the stars knows about it. If you’re in a tighter spot and you’re motivated you can go after water inside respiring foliage. Everyone with a lick of sense has heard of a solar water still:
This is a similar technology (though not the same… so don’t attack me in the comments!). The biggest limitation is that the solar water still (above) is something I associate with gathering a few ounces of water from a pile of foliage where it’s reasonably humid. Someday it might keep me alive but it’s not going to fill my coffee pot. (Without coffee are we truly alive?)
Science fiction is rife with similar ideas. Here’s a fish based Kevin Costner proving that in the future people will be idiots. They’re so fucking dumb they can float on an ocean under the bright sun and fail to master solar powered desalinization.
This little pussy was supposed to be fixing the water collection technology when he started playing with droids and hanging out with some desert hippie.
“Luke! Quit playing grab ass with the droids and hike your skinny ass over to that evaporator. We need it fixed before the next farm bill check comes in.”
Israel, of course, is cooler than all that. They went with the “there’s water dripping off this air conditioner and it gives me an idea” path. They seem to be on the cusp of something workable. The article is talking about 300watts (which is is peanuts) and I wish them all the luck in the world.
Also, because they have balls of titanium, they went for it and mounted it on a tank!
Why am I reminded of the Fremen?
Hat Tip to Maggies Farm.
P.S. Wait a few years until the technology is proven and it starts improving lives. Then then cue the enviroweenies for their protest that harvesting humidity is bad for Gaia in 3. 2. 1…
I’m glad you mentioned “Dune” as F Herbert talked about water traps and catchers and de-desertification by using the above.
You know, all the things the Israelis are doing to turn their neck of the woods green.
Maybe the middle east needs some sandworms to liven things up.
But how do you discern worm sign from other lowlife scavenger scum sign? Hmmm, maybe it’s cleaner?
Worm sign smells like the spice!
The greenies and the left won’t take few years to decry it. It’ll be months because everything from Israel is evil an we’re evil for liking their technology too. They are completely unhinged!
They use something similar, though unpowered, in S.America. Clouds and mist come rolling over the mountain tops and meet fine mesh nets. The water vapour condenses and drips into containers.
Have you ever seen that psa about clean drinking water? The one that should make everyone with half a brain scream? The one where the mother lugs water from a pond and fills her kids glasses with the crappy water? She does this in the kitchen with the stove and pots in the background. “Please give money so these people can have clean drinking water “. I’m yelling why doesn’t she get up and boil the goddamn water! Drinking water does not have to involve rocket science.
I’ve never seen that commercial but it sounds ridiculous. If a modern person in 2018 can’t figure out how to manage waterborne issues any better than I do while camping by a lake in the wilderness then they’re fuckin’ medieval idiots. Of course it’s all about the money…which is why the water is fed to cute little urchins and somehow money (instead of boiling or filtration) will make the water pure.
The people who base their lives upon being seen as doing something typically can’t do more than dictate a twitter post and require a secretary to schedule a meeting. They instead make promises to people with money, get that money, and spend it on hiring people who can do things. To them, money is power, influence, and achievement, for they know no other way to achieve these things. Be one of the people that do — it allows you to make gobs of money off these people if you properly double your rates for having to put up with them.