MIT's Air-to-Water Device Works Without Power Even in Death Valley (Copy)

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The secret? A special material called hydrogel that looks like bubble wrap and swells as it absorbs moisture from the air at night.

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These quarter-inch workers build five-foot-tall mounds containing between 30,000 to 16 million insects - the largest above-ground ant colonies.

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During daytime, the sun's heat causes the trapped water to evaporate inside the panel and collect as clean drinking water - producing up to two-thirds of a cup daily in extreme desert conditions.

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Previous water harvesters had a major problem: the salt used to attract water would leak into the collected water. MIT's solution? Adding glycerol to lock the salt inside the hydrogel.

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The device was tested for a week in Death Valley where it produced between 57-161.5 milliliters of water daily, even when humidity dropped to just 21%.

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This technology could help the 2.2 billion people worldwide - including 46 million Americans - who lack access to safe drinking water.

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Unlike other water harvesting technologies, this device requires no electricity, batteries or solar panels - making it perfect for remote areas without power.

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Scientists believe multiple panels could be arranged to supply enough drinking water for an entire household. "The footprint is very small because they are all vertical," says Professor Zhao.

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The research was published in Nature Water, and the team is now developing next-generation materials to make the technology ready for real-world use.

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