Posted on Jul 1, 2025
MIT's high-tech 'bubble wrap' turns air into safe drinking water — even in Death Valley
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MIT researchers have created a high-tech "bubble wrap" capable of collecting safe drinking water directly from the air — even in Death Valley, the driest desert in North America.
The new water harvester is a major step towards providing safe, accessible drinking water to people across the globe — and works wherever you may find water vapor in the air, scientists said in a new study published June 11 in the journal Nature Water.
The water harvester is made from hydrogel (a highly water-absorbent material) that is enclosed between two layers of glass — much like a window. At night, the device absorbs water vapor from the atmosphere. During the day, the water condenses on the glass thanks to a coating that keeps the glass cool. The liquid water then drips down the glass and is collected in a system of tubes.
The new water harvester is a major step towards providing safe, accessible drinking water to people across the globe — and works wherever you may find water vapor in the air, scientists said in a new study published June 11 in the journal Nature Water.
The water harvester is made from hydrogel (a highly water-absorbent material) that is enclosed between two layers of glass — much like a window. At night, the device absorbs water vapor from the atmosphere. During the day, the water condenses on the glass thanks to a coating that keeps the glass cool. The liquid water then drips down the glass and is collected in a system of tubes.
MIT's high-tech 'bubble wrap' turns air into safe drinking water — even in Death Valley
Posted from livescience.com
Science
Research
Water
Posted 5 mo ago
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This could be a significant advancement although the headline on the article is basically clickbait. This is all too common when articles about scientific discoveries are published for the public.
"capable of collecting safe drinking water directly from the air — even in Death Valley, the driest desert in North America" is true but it produced only between 2-6 ounces of water per day and there is no mention of the size or number of panels used in this test.
Elsewhere in the article it mentions panels either 3'x6' or 1m x 2m (whoever wrote the article seems to think those are the same size) but there is no indication if this was the size panel used in the Death Valley demonstration.
According to the article 144 sq ft (or maybe 16 m²) of these panels should supply water for a "household" (but no mention of location or the size of the household).
Also no mention of the cost or durability of these panels. I think it is going to be quite a while before this technology solves the problem of universal access to clean safe drinking water.
"capable of collecting safe drinking water directly from the air — even in Death Valley, the driest desert in North America" is true but it produced only between 2-6 ounces of water per day and there is no mention of the size or number of panels used in this test.
Elsewhere in the article it mentions panels either 3'x6' or 1m x 2m (whoever wrote the article seems to think those are the same size) but there is no indication if this was the size panel used in the Death Valley demonstration.
According to the article 144 sq ft (or maybe 16 m²) of these panels should supply water for a "household" (but no mention of location or the size of the household).
Also no mention of the cost or durability of these panels. I think it is going to be quite a while before this technology solves the problem of universal access to clean safe drinking water.
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