Something I saw during the Sunday read — an open source project from designer Gabriele Diamanti that enables desalination anywhere there’s sunlight and saltwater.
The video below explains how it works.
According to figures estimated by the World Health Organization, over a billion people worldwide don’t have access to fresh drinking water. Immediate help can be provided by desalinating and/or sterilising seawater or brackish water before drinking. But desalination plants are energy and maintenance intensive, making their usage in remote areas without connections to power grids impossible.
Advantages of Eliodomestico:
- No electricity
- No filters
- Very easy to maintain
- Good impact on the local economy
- No impact on the environment
Made from burnt clay and tin metal, the still can be entirely produced by local craftspeople. It creates ten litres of water per day per square metre of surface, with an estimated production cost of $75 USD (much cheaper than the billboard I mentioned back in May).
The design was a winner in the social impact category of last year’s Core77 Awards, and it’s in the running for the empowering people. Award, chosen on October 30th. There’s an empowering people community award if you fancy voting (you need to choose three projects for your vote to count, so it’s more than just a click, but there are other top ideas over there).
Gabriele Diamanti is a freelance industrial designer in Milan who studied industrial design at the Politecnico di Milano and UdK Berlin.
Photo credit: Fondation d’enterprise Hermès ©DISKO
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