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A new device developed by VICI-Labs, in collaboration with UC Berkeley and the National Peace Corps Association, aims to provide a sustainable source of clean safe water for the millions without a reliable water supply. In the developed world, where most homes and businesses have ready access to clean water at the turn of a tap, we don't really have to worry about most waterborne diseases, or dehydration, or the ability to wash our selves, our clothes, or our eating utensils, but those worries are still very real for the millions around the world without a reliable clean water source. The WaterSeer could help to alleviate some of those water poverty issues.
The WaterSeer is relatively simple device, designed to be operated without an external power input, and without the need for costly chemicals or maintenance, that can 'pull' moisture from thin air and condense it into water using the temperature difference between the above-ground turbine and the collection chamber installed six feet underground. The potable water can then be delivered to the surface for use via a simple pump and hose, and the device is said to be able to produce up to 11 gallons per day, even in arid regions.
First reported by us here.
(Score: 4, Informative) by t-3 on Wednesday October 12 2016, @09:45AM
It's not a complex or very new idea. It's just an air well [wikipedia.org] with attached to a vertical axis wind turbine. For the price it might be worthwhile, but there are quite a few designs without moving parts or the need for pumps that could break many miles from any place with facilities to repair or replace parts. Here's a similar contraption without moving parts, and a much larger storage basin, albeit at a much higher cost and more labor intensive to install. I would really like to see some side-by-side comparisons of different designs and get a good idea of comparative yield though, it's really hard to say whether or not this is an improvement on the concept or not. [warkawater.org]
(Score: 2) by t-3 on Wednesday October 12 2016, @09:49AM
Fuck I should have used preview. An edit button would be nice, maybe with a short activation window, say up to 10 minutes after posting?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 12 2016, @01:52PM
(Score: 3, Touché) by tibman on Wednesday October 12 2016, @01:54PM
Hey, are you the guy who keeps creating these support tickets for an "unsend email" button?
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 12 2016, @03:17PM
It's time that the weapon producers finally implement the "undo shot" feature!
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday October 12 2016, @02:10PM
Hey, if we want to be coddled we can always go back to The Green Site where we *have to* preview before we can submit. And occasionally endure 5 minutes of buffer time if they think we're posting too fast :P
"Great power great responsibility" blah blah
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Wednesday October 12 2016, @02:55PM
The problem I see is that in an arid desert there is so little moisture in the air that there is nothing to distill. The UC Berkeley Gill Tract Farm is located about 1 Km from the San Francisco Bay, where the average humidity is high.
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts"- --Daniel Patrick Moynihan--
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Wednesday October 12 2016, @08:07PM
A valid point which may limit the usefulness of the device, but which wouldn't eliminate it. And it might work quite well in arid conditions, but just produce less water. They should test it in the Mojave, or if it has enough wind Death Valley.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 13 2016, @01:32PM
I didn't understand that either. They claimed the Bay area as "arid". That has never been my experience.