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A Metre-Scale Vertical Origami Hydrogel Panel for Atmospheric Water Harvesting in Death Valley
- MIT scientists tested a meter-scale hydrogel water-harvesting device in Death Valley over a week in July 2025.
- They developed the device to enable sustainable water supply in resource-limited regions facing drought and water scarcity.
- The device absorbs water vapor at night, condenses it on cooled glass during the day, and collects liquid water via tubes.
- It produced 57 to 161.5 milliliters daily, used 2 to 2.2 watts of electricity, and required 20 to 23 square meters of photovoltaic panels.
- Researchers expect arrays of panels could supply households safely and plan more tests to assess performance in varied conditions.
14 Articles
14 Articles
New MIT tech turns desert air into safe drinking water
An innovative and potentially impactful new device can turn air into drinkable water, even in the driest climates. The tool, which comes from researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, could be a huge step toward making safe drinking water worldwide a reality. The lack thereof impacts 2.2 billion people, per a study on the invention, which was recently published in the journal Nature Water. The device was developed by Professor Xu…
According to the researchers, based on the price of bottled water, such a device would pay for itself in a month.
MIT Scientists Created a Device That Harvests Water Vapor
How can people survive in a hostile environment during drought conditions? A new device developed by scientists based at MIT offers an ingenious way of producing water — literally — out of thin air. The principle behind it is simple: what if there was a way to collect the water vapor present in the air and collect it — and, in turn, bring water to places without any rainfall in weeks or months?“We have built a meter-scale device that we hope to …
A metre-scale vertical origami hydrogel panel for atmospheric water harvesting in Death Valley
Water scarcity impacts over 2.2 billion people globally, especially in underdeveloped, landlocked or off-grid regions. Passive sorbent-based atmospheric water harvesting offers a promising solution by converting ubiquitous atmospheric moisture into liquid water. However, current approaches are limited by low water production (a few millilitres a day), the release of unsafe lithium ions and poor efficiency in conditions of low relative humidity. …
MIT's high-tech ‘bubble wrap’ turns air into safe drinking water — even in Death Valley
Researchers at MIT have tested a new technology for turning water vapor in the atmosphere into drinkable water, even in extreme environments. It’s a big step towards addressing water scarcity across the globe.
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