Klimatic Base 1 AirWater Machine pulls drinking water from the air

It may not create drinking water from anything like Dean Kamen's wonder machine, but this new so-called Klimatic Base 1 AirWater Machine does its share of inventive (but not entirely unique) water purifying nonetheless, with it promising to pull drinkable water out of the air. That's done, as you might have guessed, with the aid of an apparently standard dehumidifier, which gets paired with several filters and a UV light chamber that the company says will eliminate any bacterial content that might be in the water. You'll apparently even be able to get both hot and cold water from the dispenser. There's no word on price or availability just yet, unfortunately, and we wouldn't recommend trying to rig up your own with a Brita filter and the dehumidifier in your basement in the meantime either.

[Via Tech Digest]

[cy21 @ Jul 2nd 2008 7:16AM]

for the first second.. i looked at the name and thought....is this another apple product? :))

[Tromac @ Jul 2nd 2008 7:39AM]

Yeah, I thought it had something to do with Apple too at first glimpse.

Its a tad (albeit obviously unintentionally) subliminal: "AIRater MAChine".

[Quigley Guy @ Jul 2nd 2008 7:35AM]

wow... i want one

[Ladderless @ Jul 2nd 2008 7:38AM]

Why? You have internet access, but no water supply?

[bebop @ Jul 2nd 2008 7:38AM]

Isnt that like drinking dionized water? ... I thought that wasnt supposed to be healthy....

[Flashpoint @ Jul 2nd 2008 9:25AM]

Some people, such as diabetics, need to drink deionized and distilled water for health reasons.

And yes, in general it is bad to drink distilled water all the time.

But if you live in a place where there is no fresh water, this will keep you alive. Lets hope they build a massive one in countries with no fresh water.

This might be part of our answer for avoiding the future wars over water.

[technophobe @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:13AM]

The problem is that in dry countries, where there is not much water, the air is probably not very humid, it can't make water from air!

[AdamUp @ Jul 2nd 2008 5:52PM]

This has been out for a couple of years. My work has had one since 2006.

[Luke @ Jul 2nd 2008 7:41AM]

Fart Water (C)

Coming to an office near you soon.

[Jamie @ Jul 2nd 2008 3:41PM]

now THAT's how you get pink eye.

[phil @ Jul 2nd 2008 2:01PM]

Ummm... Mildew?

[MacGyver @ Jul 2nd 2008 7:57AM]

I can't imagine this thing working indoors too well if the building is air conditioned... the A/C pulls moisture out of the air, leaving little for this thing to work with.

[Pete Thronton @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:23AM]

Well obviously, Mac... But if you take this piece of string and this soda can...

[dexter fillmore @ Jul 2nd 2008 1:56PM]

i'm only posting because of my name.

well that, and why would you use this in an air conditioned building? if they have ac, i think they have potable water.

[deep @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:00AM]

Moisture farming on Tatooine.

[ethana2 @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:02AM]

This all seems somehow familiar..

[inteller @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:15AM]

you beat me to it.

Next up, stillsuits from Arrakis.

[Sukhminder @ Jul 2nd 2008 12:52PM]

That's the first thing that came to mind.

[fhlh @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:15AM]

nothing but a fancy de-humidifier.
but if Apple made it......

[Ace b @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:02AM]

you just had to go there,didn't you?

[daniel =] @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:25AM]

useless product

[temp @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:32AM]

While this will admittedly be a help to people in need of clean, potable, water, the design clearly shows it is intended to replace standard office water coolers.
I really only see this as a benefit to the bean counters.
So now PHB can turn off the AC in the summer, thereby making us sweat. Our sweat then goes into the air, at which point this machine will serve it to us in dixie cups. Voila. Lower electrical bill from shutting off the AC, as well as not having to pay for bottled water to be delivered.

[Daniel @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:46AM]

"we wouldn't recommend trying to rig up your own with a Brita filter and the dehumidifier in your basement in the meantime either."

Why not? :)

[Jeff Snugglebutton @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:48AM]

I've had one of these in my home for about 3 years now, and mine looks a lot nicer then that thing. Do a search for AIR2WATER or go here or there

http://www.air2water.net/products.html

[ShadowKain @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:50AM]

Def. a major step in the direction of water for places that have none. Pulling it out of the air is great, especially for desert communities. Its effectiveness on that is yet to be seen, but def. something that will motivate change in the enviroment friendly culture...

[RonS @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:30AM]

Um, this is going to be a "major step" only for those desert communities that are rich enough to afford a large amount of solar electricity. Dehumidifiers require a lot of juice, and their name should give you a clue as to where they work best: in places that are humid. Deserts are not normally humid (unless you live on the Namibian coast and want to harvest the sea fog.)

[Rick @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:51AM]

Drinking deionized water is not bad. It may taste funny because it does not have any taste.

However, where you get the water from and how it is stored can be a problem. Freshly made deionized water may have bacteria in it unless it has been further purified by filtration or UV light.

If the deionized water comes in a plastic jug from the supermarket then the minute you open it bacteria and other microorganisms can get in it and start to grow.

[Kris @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:05AM]

Did you sterilize the keyboard before you typed that?

[Rick @ Jul 2nd 2008 3:20PM]

First i had to get all the sticky residue off.

[Kris @ Jul 3rd 2008 2:21AM]

I heard de-sterilized water works well for that.

[Boarderwoot @ Jul 2nd 2008 8:52AM]

This is sweet! get a couple of these things and force your employees to drink tons of water in the summer and they'll pay for themselves in saved electricity from airconditioning in a matter of days!

[William Donelson @ Jul 2nd 2008 9:07AM]

OR ....

How to turn Gasoline into Water...

[andres @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:57AM]

burn it?

[Peter @ Jul 2nd 2008 9:10AM]

Next step for the fiscally conservative PHB:

Hook a filter up to the output of the urinals!

[neurosceptic @ Jul 2nd 2008 9:19AM]

This is STUPID. If you live in an area without tap water, you'd generally be much better off using a solar still.

A small one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_still

Nothing environmentally friendly about the Klimatic Base 1 AirWater Machine

[Flashpoint @ Jul 2nd 2008 9:39AM]

YEAH The solar still is a great idea.

Just one thing... if I am naked in nature, WHERE DO I GET A PLASTIC BAG?

Secondly, is plastic of any type environmentaly friendly?

[Salsa Shark @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:34AM]

So, Flashpoint, you're saying that you wouldn't have a plastic bag, but you'd have a Klimatic Base 1 AirWater Machine plus a generator and fuel hidden up your arse in case of emergency?

[Ryback @ Jul 2nd 2008 9:31AM]

The water produced is so pure even General Ripper will have a sip.

[indecks @ Jul 2nd 2008 9:56AM]

I wonder if this tool will ever require a trip to Toshii station to get some power converters.

[Big Boy(30 incher) @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:39AM]

These appear to be excellent replacement units for my moisture farm on Tatooine.

[Apreche @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:39AM]

Thing is, this will work best in humid places. Humid places have plenty of water. Deserts are the places without water, but they have no humidity to dehumidify.

If you are in a place with plenty of water, you can get that water from the tap. The plumbing uses a lot less energy/electricity than this crazy machine with a dehumidifier and a filter.

It's an obvious idea, and there are obvious reasons why nobody has bothered to do it before. It's just a waste.

[thedesolate1 @ Jul 2nd 2008 12:54PM]

Well for people that don trust drinking tapwater or that buy water from the store this would be more economical i guess....

[mikeg @ Jul 2nd 2008 4:55PM]

no it wouldn't
buying an undercounter Reverse Osmosis unit would make more sense,

it filters better, produces more without the need for electricity, and will probably produce better water too.

[Xepol @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:53AM]

Now we just need a Stilsuit and some oversized worms and the Dune re-enactment society will be ready to go!

[rodan32 @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:58AM]

It's not impossible. I had a whole farm of moisture vaporators back home.

[Earvin @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:37AM]

"Hey Jim, mind not airing off near the water cooler? Not that I don't like drinking your sweat."

[phreakre @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:43AM]

.. anyone else reading this as "Killmatic.."?

[Dharun @ Jul 2nd 2008 12:18PM]

Wow I just realized that it WASN'T Killmatic

[Jack Buffington @ Jul 2nd 2008 12:47PM]

Having built a water-producing machine in the past using this same method, I can say with confidence that this is pure gimmick. It will draw an absurd amount of power for the amount of water that it can produce.

[duncmac @ Jul 2nd 2008 12:19PM]

Yum drinking down my co-workers sweat and breath. I'd rather drink bleach