Engineers have developed a jacket capable of converting water vapor from the air into drinking water.A team of University of Texas engineers developed the jacket as part of their broader invention, AirGel, a technology that uses hydrogel material and solar energy."Water scarcity threatens two-thirds of the global population, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable and accessible clean water solutions," the researchers wrote in a Science Advances report on their development of a field‑portable, solar‑powered, water-harvesting device.CAN ALKALINE WATER ACTUALLY IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH? EXPERTS SEPARATE FACT FROM FICTION"AirGel provides a complementary solution to existing water-processing systems," said Yaxuan Zhao, one of the UT researchers who developed the technology, in a UT press release."It can produce water using only air and sunlight, and it can deliver water directly to the point of need."A team of University of Texas at Austin engineers developed this jacket to extract drinking water from humidity in the air.
(University of Texas at Austin)"This differs from a centralized system that might need to transport water a long distance, which can increase the cost and the energy demand," he went on. "Since our system is portable, modular and only relies on solar energy, it can be used in many applications, such as outdoor activities, for household or community needs, and even disaster relief."TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZThe wearable prototype could be valuable to soldiers, emergency responders and others who spend time in remote outdoor environments, the researchers said.The jacket produced about 14 to 30 ounces of water, depending on humidity levels."The fabric absorbs moisture from the air, then releases it when heated by sunlight, so the water can be condensed and collected," stated the news release.In testing, the wearable prototype jacket proved to be a much less bulky, more efficient and portable method of harvesting water compared to c...