In a cool development for global sustainability, scientists have improved a device that pulls clean, drinkable water straight from the air.
Inspired by musical instruments and the fog-drinking power of California redwoods, which get about 35% of their annual water intake from fog, researchers at Virginia Tech created a 3D-printed "mesh-harp" hybrid fog collector that dramatically outperforms other methods.
A study published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A revealed that in lab tests simulating both light and heavy fog, the best-performing prototype captured up to 12.7% of airborne water. This makes it 8.5 times more efficient than mesh nets and nearly four times better than standard fog harps. Much like a musical harp, this vertical wire array channels fog droplets downward. But unlike previous designs that faced clogging or tangling challenges, this hybrid model uses horizontal supports — inspired by guitars — to keep wires evenly spaced.
This innovation matters because many conventional fog-harvesting systems either miss most of the microscopic water droplets or struggle with design flaws. These next-gen harvesters avoid both pitfalls, making them practical and affordable for use in remote or drought-stricken areas.
The environmental impact could be huge. Unlike desalination and groundwater pumping, fog harvesting is nonpolluting and can support local ecosystems by reducing strain on freshwater sources. It's also a public health win, offering safe drinking water in areas with poor infrastructure.
As urban areas grow hotter and drier, passive water-harvesting technologies offer a climate-resilient way to make daily life easier, providing hydration with no long treks to distant water sources, no power outages interrupting access, and no complex and expensive machinery to maintain. For consumers, it could also mean lower utility costs and a more resilient daily water supply.
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While there's no clear timeline for a large-scale rollout, the researchers said they are hoping to move toward mass production soon. The timing couldn't be more urgent. Over 4 billion people worldwide experience severe water scarcity for at least one month each year, according to a previous study in Science. In underserved and remote regions, where traditional water infrastructure is often unreliable or nonexistent, this low-cost, energy-efficient solution could be a life-saving breakthrough.
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