Clean Water from Thin Air

 
It's not alchemy, but an architect at Technion University (Haifa, Israel) and his colleague have created a low-tech method for creating fresh water from thin air. The invention recently won an international competition, which reviewed methods for manufacturing safe drinking water.

Grad student Joseph Cory and his colleague Eyal Malka invented "WatAir," an array of mesh panels organized as inverted pyramids. The devices collect dew from the air and transforms it into clean water in nearly any climate.

Inhabit reports:

...With an estimated 5,000 children dying daily due to dirty drinking water, Joseph Cory and Eyal Malka’s award-winning WatAir design for Arup and WaterAid’s drawn water challenge might be the response barren landscapes are looking for. Simply described, WatAir produces water from the air through its inverted pyramid array of panels. Inspired by spiderwebs and the dew-catching properties of leaves, WatAir is easy to incorporate into both rural and urban landscapes due to its relatively small footprint. Arup’s and WaterAid’s drawing water challenge launched in September of 2006 as an ideas competition seeking innovative ways to “help many more people gain access to safe water and effective sanitation.” Over 91 entrants responded from 19 countries across North America, with WatAir taking away the grand prize. Each WatAir unit features 96 square meters of lightweight dew-collecting panels that gravitationally funnel moisture from the air to one collective source. The designers estimate that each unit can collect roughly 48 liters of water in remote places or places that do not have any clean water sources. The panels are flexible, easy to collapse when not in use, and readily available to provide shade and even some shelter...

Well done, gentlemen!