Xziex makes water out of thin air, angers Harkonnens

We don't know what's going on here exactly, but we're fairly certain they need a load of these on Arrakis, ASAP. Sure, Muad'Dib may be able to summon sandworms and lead an army of Fremen into battle, but he can't make drinkable water out of thin air, can he? That's where the Xziex comes in. Basically, this intimidating "atmospheric water generator" siphons moisture out of the air and converts it into water -- delicious, clean, healthy water. It may not actually live up to the company's claim of "The Most Exciting Product Ever," but if it does what they say, it's a pretty amazing device. Honestly, the Xziex website does cause a little concern, with its calls for readers to "lock in" their "position," and excited passages about earning potential -- but hey, who can blame them for trying to make a buck?

[Via Gearlog]

[iomatic @ May 19th 2008 1:07AM]

Sweet Herbert reference!

[David Zelman @ May 19th 2008 1:07AM]

dehumidifier on engadget?

[gad get @ May 19th 2008 1:13AM]

No no no, this is the opposite! It's a humidifier; it GETS water!

;)

[happy_penguin @ May 19th 2008 1:21AM]

That's what a dehumidifier does.

[gad get @ May 19th 2008 1:22AM]

Sorry, I should make it more clear when I'm kidding.

[ethana2 @ May 19th 2008 1:25AM]

'round my home town of Mos Eisley, we like to call these rigs 'condensers'.

The square form is thermally inefficient though, I hope they ship proper round ones soon.

[ethana2 @ May 19th 2008 1:28AM]

Dangit, and I didn't even get that right. 'vaporators'.
Just... don't let me bother you....

[kyle allen @ May 19th 2008 2:07AM]

crap, im guna have to learn to speek bachi. good thing i took a binary loader class in highschool.

[marty.com.au @ May 19th 2008 4:28AM]

So its water out of the left hand tap and legionnaires disease out of the right hand one?

Looks like it doesent need electricity..

"a spot will be held for you in the company's 3x7 compensation matrix"

Wow, it runs on gulliabllity-MLM instead of AC or DC... sweet!

[Funke, Tobias Dr. @ May 19th 2008 4:33AM]

You mean the next semester before the harvest?

[kr @ May 19th 2008 8:25AM]

But I was going to the Toshi Station to pick up a Power Converter!

[deep @ May 19th 2008 1:10AM]

Moisture farming on Tatooine.

[Andrew @ May 19th 2008 1:22AM]

Yeah, hivemind much? It's just a moisture vaporator hahaha

[ethana2 @ May 19th 2008 1:26AM]

Gahh! I should have scrolled down further :(

You beat me by a whole 15 minutes.

[Ash @ May 19th 2008 1:13AM]

@deep - was just gonna say - Moisture Vaporators.

[Ace b @ May 19th 2008 1:18AM]

So isnt this the same thing that the segway dude is doing?

[gad get @ May 19th 2008 1:21AM]

What?

[Ace b @ May 19th 2008 1:57AM]

A few weeks ago Engadget said that he was making something like this.So some device that looks similiar,

[Jason Randazza @ May 19th 2008 2:34AM]

Nah, his takes existing water and purifies it. Also his website looks less sketchy.

[Josh @ May 19th 2008 1:27AM]

Air conditioners have been doing this forever. They cool air by separating the water from it. Sounds like this thing just has a larger tank for that water.

[grjohnston @ May 19th 2008 9:47AM]

I don't think that's what actually happens. As far as I remember from Physics class in high school (and that's a lot, 'cause I went on to get a Physics degree), an air conditioner is the same process of condensing and expanding a gas to cool and heat it, that a fridge uses. There's condensation of water from the air inside the air conditioner, because the pipes that the air blows over to be cooled by, are cold, and cold air holds less moisture.

I bet this machine does do something similar to gather water, as opposed to some fancy air-moisture-sucking salt.

[CT A @ May 19th 2008 1:30AM]

The technology is legit

http://science.howstuffworks.com/manufacture-water1.htm

[Twitchy @ May 19th 2008 1:36AM]

...but their business model stinks (Amway much?)

[Jimmy @ Jun 19th 2008 1:15AM]

Hey CTA,
You are an abosolute idiot to endorse this MLM Scam and how they market their product launch to the public. You don't have any credibility as a expert in the water industry, let alone the business manufacturing of this product.

First, I'll meet you half way about the refrigerant based concept of condensing humidity from atmosphere....yes this is a fact...but the tecxhnology for this MLM group is rediculous....their manufactirer is Water Pure International listed on the stock exchange under thye acronym WPUR..their stock a year ago was at 85 cents a share...it has had a steady decline down to a low of 8 cents a share...

The MLM group responsible as the marketing arm for this scumbag company has defaulted in production delays after delays to produce and deliver.....efficiency of a refrigerant based used at 120 volts is rediculous.

What makes me an expert?...35 years as a Licensed Electrical professional and also a national ranked water expert.....ther are legitimate manufacturers all over the world that hold patents and actually produce small residentail devices as welll as large massive production units that are totally green running on win\d power to diesel units.

They have filtration systems and disinfection technologies like Ul;tra violet and ozonators with recirculation processes in place raising the EPA bar of minimum swtandards to a very high level.....they have been in existance and operation .this MLM group distributors don't even have ny units in their possession and can't fulfill their promises at the moment

MLM is a joke.....inflated prices to pay high commissions on forced level matrix...when you buy direct for half the MLM price and get a listed tested device on your own.......and have a manufacturer warranty that backs it all up......the MLM company can't even back up field service, on site repair or have technicians licensed to perform work on an electrical refrigerant based device that right now is only a dream yet they are taking in money to guarantee placement.....

As to their website...you are really off base and again don't know anything about websites....every distributor hyas a cloned website...
Web 2.0 technoloies, the current latent symantic indexing and themed based content is replicated thousands of time.....so the MLM group makes money on webhosting and website too......what a SCAM.

Next time you post a blog thread endorsing a technology....either do your research and homework or get your hands dirty and get licensed with familiarity in the industry....I'll rip you a new one every time in this tchnology and business model....

You contribute nothing.....except your stupidity and self righteousness
throw your computer out the window or open your mouth on subjects you are an expert.....In my opnion you're an idiot.

[CT A @ Jun 19th 2008 8:52AM]

First of all Jimmy, You're the idiot. I, in no way, endorsed the MLM company. I just pointed to HowStuffWorks website (It's not a blog and it's an affiliate of The Discovery Channel) which shows that there are products out there that can do that sort of stuff.

Second of all, Your 35 years as a "Licensed Electrical professional" and being a "national ranked water expert" mean shit to me and to others. I really don't care. You'd think someone as "prestigious" (Lol) as you would have a more refined personality.

But you know the saddest part, You wrote 9 paragraphs and flame me for saying "The technology is legit" and then posting a link to HowStuffWorks to show people that this technology is being developed by people like kakapo and others (not just MLM mind you). Really WTF is the matter with you.

Like I said, Your 35 years mean shit to me.

[gad get @ May 19th 2008 1:36AM]

@ ethana2

LOL!

[myk @ May 19th 2008 7:10AM]

Sorry, but that's not really news:-
http://mykblog.com/2007/08/31/free-h20/

[atomicthumbs @ May 19th 2008 1:38AM]

So it's a dehumidifier with a filter and a tap?

That's all?

[Adam @ May 19th 2008 1:47AM]

How long before Xziex turns up on snopes.com?

If Dean Kamen is intent on sending water purifiers to third world people dying for lack of clean water, wouldn't he be interestedi in something that doesn't even need a water supply? This is the first I've heard of Xziex.

Note some of the keywords in the HTML of that .cn Web site:

"mlm, network marketing, work from home, home-based business, direct sales"

and

"Automated online marketing system can help you sell our products."


Doesn't this all sound a bit half-baked for what should be either a ground breaking product or, well, little more than a sheet of plastic set up to capture moisture condensing like morning dew on blades of grass?

[Skorpius @ May 19th 2008 1:53AM]

My dehumidifier takes a hell of a lot of juice though, something not commonly found in the middle of nowhere.

[OddManOut @ May 19th 2008 2:23AM]

Erm...don't you get one of these free with every air conditioner ?

[Nick Darveniza @ May 19th 2008 1:52AM]

Ummm... I'm not sure... But, I think our church has had one of these for a year or so - I'll check next Sunday - but I am pretty sure.

[kakapo @ May 19th 2008 2:00AM]

Reality check - this is a glorified dehumidifier - nothing more - nothing less. It has a catchment tank and a filter system but it will take 250 to 500 watts to run it and it will produce maybe (based upon the humidity in your area) about 12-20 liters of water a day. And it uses a compressor - freeze thaw cycle technology. And in "developing countries" it is difficult to just plug it in.

I have developed a AWVCS (Atmospheric Water Vapour Collection System) that works in 85% of the world - humidity is a real factor, runs on 120 watt photovoltaic system and produces about (once again depending upon where you live) between 35 and 65 litres of water a day and it is 1/2 the size of this thing. It took me ten years to develop the technology. It is not an "air conditioner with a tank".

And it is not to be marketed by any MLM company. 15% of our production with be donated to developing countries and for disaster relief. And our units will still be less expensive than anything on the market - except a stream.

cost per liter 2¢ (USD)

This is not an ad - it is just to let you know that there are REAL AWVCS on the market that do work.

Cheers.

[Darwin @ May 19th 2008 3:15AM]

I, for one, have no issue with someone touting respectable alternatives with respectable comments in the comments section. Don't know if adding self-serving links are 'against policy' here, but in certain cases such as yours, they shouldn't be. Even if it is... just tell us how to google it; I think many people would be happy to learn more, especially if it is something that Engadget should be posting themselves.

[resare @ May 19th 2008 10:10AM]

There is also island sky company that has been doing this for a while (http://www.islandsky.com/). Wonder if this is the next field for lawsuits.

[Laszlo Lang @ May 26th 2008 4:49AM]

Hello Kakapo

This sounds too good to be true. If it is, can you send me some informations about your machine, like where to order and the price.

If it works like advertised, we will have a business proposal for you.

Thank you for your quick reply.

Sincerely yours

Laszlo Lang
CEO
Neptun Submarines

[Laszlo Lang @ May 26th 2008 11:28PM]

Hello Kakapo

Here is the e-mail from our company website if you would like to contact us directly.

[e-mail]

We are really interested in your technology if it works like you say.

Cheers

[Blair Mitchelmore @ May 19th 2008 2:15AM]

I don't mean to geek out on y'all but the Fremen had these; they were called windtraps.

[alitman @ May 19th 2008 2:16AM]

Its a pyramid scheme..
I like the sales pitch: "1/6 of the world population do not have access to safe drinking water"... But they have electricity to plug this thing in???.

[Haikibutsu @ May 19th 2008 2:25AM]

Change the line to the "Moist exciting product ever"

[Nando @ May 19th 2008 9:39AM]

Hahaha!!! That's hilarious! I like that.

[Matt @ May 19th 2008 2:30AM]

So if this water is "99.99%" pure, its going to be verrrry soft, well, its practically distilled water.

And soft water is not good for drinking. Yes this won't add all the sodium into the water that a water softener would, but it still leaves the water lacking in calcium.

[Prezzie @ May 19th 2008 3:00AM]

I'm not usually one to criticize but...

These things have been around for years.

Anyway, kudos on the Harkonnen mention.

[Kizorblade @ May 19th 2008 3:15AM]

I have one in my bedroom. Thanks to shoddy building (Damn developing countries), the room gets moist, so I need one running all the time. It isn't really that exciting.

[MattNL @ May 19th 2008 4:48AM]

Well with one of these in your bedroom, you can actually tap the reservoir and drink your own sweat...

nice...

[dervheid @ May 19th 2008 3:27AM]

Why would they need these on Arrakis. The Fremen had perfectly good, massive "Windtraps" performing the same function. Or didn't anyone else read the book(s), but just watched the movie.

[herbert's estate @ May 19th 2008 3:29AM]

uh... Mua'd'Dib was trying to terraform arrakis. so yeah, he definitely did do this...

as mentioned earlier, this was being done with windtraps... Leto was the one who actually did this as part of the Golden Path which eventually left only a small part of Arrakis still a desert.

as for the product, not sure that hand-held dehumidifier is the way to go, as larger scale windtrap type devices would (most likely) be more efficient.

[Elijah @ May 19th 2008 3:34AM]

my favorite post ever.

the windtraps generated energy... their still suits and other devices gathered water.

[Johan S @ May 19th 2008 3:59AM]

Many companies make these types of products and it's been done for many many years I can't believe most of you guys havent even heard of them.


do a little googling .. or fine look up companies like
Air Water Corp and also Aquamagic

http://www.aquamagic.us/

http://www.airwatercorp.com/

[David Ingram @ May 24th 2008 10:10AM]

Hi Johan,

Do you have one of these AWG's? I am very interested in buying one of them.

When people keep criticizing it for being a dehumidifier, what is wrong with that if you can get pure, safe water instead of the junk in our tap water or bottled water?

Thanks for any comments you send me,

David