This Jacket Pulls Drinking Water From Thin Air
Summary
UT Austin researchers developed a wearable jacket with a hydrogel textile that harvests drinking water from ambient air. The detachable harvesting units heat the captured moisture to produce water, yielding 400–900 ml per day depending on humidity, with field-testing achieving about 1.3 L/day in both arid and semi-humid climates. The work suggests a path to decentralized water access for hikers, emergency responders, and remote communities.