Dean Kamen, who is perhaps most famous for inventing the Segway was featured on The Colbert Report on Thursday, March 20 for his newest creation. This invention, a Vapor Compression Distiller can take any liquid and purify it into clean, drinkable water.
There are some great things about this invention:
1. It does not require any filters, membranes, chemicals, etc, so there aren't continual costs of replacing needed materials.
2. It can remove any impurity from minerals to sewage to hard metals to Doritos (please see the video clip of the interview from the show and you'll see what I mean)
3. It can produce 1000 liters of water in a single day, or 50 of those wonderful "water cooler-sized" bottles
These machines could be mass produced and placed across the world to help eliminate disease and provide the world with potable water. I'm not exactly sure how much these machines cost, but they probably aren't quite affordable for all areas, especially in third world countries. It would be amazing to see this invention put to work in poverty stricken countries were water-born disease runs rampant.
I think it would be a great idea if we could start some kind of fund or site where people could donate in order to supply these incredible machines in order to help others. I would love to spark some publicity about vapor compression distillers and get in touch with Dean Kamen himself in regards to costs. His invention seemed like such a progressive idea to me that I really want to support it, and I hope some fellow ProgressiveUers agree.
So, if you think that helping to supply vapor compression distillers to nations around the world sounds like a good idea, please comment or write me a message. I'd really like to see if there would be enough support to get a program like this running.
If you think there is another resource that is currently available that could help the masses more than a vapor compression distiller, please let me know that as well. I am really looking for a worthy invention that needs some help getting off the ground in order to help others across the world. Let's use our ProgressiveU writing and ideas to create some progressive actions!
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I agree. There needs to be more encouragement for people to engineer and invent new ways to provide potable water in areas where there is a lack of it.
The UN University estimates that the entire continent of Africa will only have enough resources to feed 25% of its population by 2025. The rivalries in Darfur were mainly caused by the nomads encroaching on the farmers lands because the lands they traditionally roamed with their herds had become desert. Lack of clean potable water is a huge issue around the world that can no longer be denied
~~Every human heartbeat is a universe of possibilites.~~
Gregory David Roberts
I'm skeptical. Not of the fact that the distiller can do what you say it can do, but that it will actually help. I mean, where I live, there's very little water to be found... anywhere. And I'm not sure how good for the environment it would be to pull more water out.
Desalination plants, such as those found in the Middle East, seem to be a pretty good idea.
~C
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These distillers can also do the same thing with salt/ocean water. They seem really great because you can put extremely polluted water, salt water, etc. into it and it can handle taking out any type of impurity. In the interview, Kamen said it could even take out things like hexavalent chromium.
I would really appreciate any and all insight from those who know more about this process!
Dean Kamen is an interesting guy. He's been pushing this particular invention for years. As a FIRST Robotics student of almost a decade, I can say he'll probably be more successful with this than the Segway, but I don't see him making much profit / being able to produce many without corporate and charitable support.
Going on the Colbert report was a smooth move. I wish him lots of luck - he has already helped people who can afford it with his nifty wheelchair.
Also, the filter produces electricity in addition to clean water.
A somewhat old CNN news article about his filter (which totally needs a cool name):
http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/16/technology/business2_futureboy0216/index...