Atmospheric water generators – or apparatuses that extract water from the air is not a new technology. In fact, humans have been harvesting water out of the air for more than 2000 years. The Earth’s atmosphere contains around 13,000km cubed of essentially unexploited freshwater- clean, fresh, potable water Fontus is actively trying to extract with their newest product, the water bottle that fills itself – the Airo.
An atmospheric water generator (AWG) is a device which extracts water from water vapor in humid, ambient air. The water vapor is condensed by cooling the water below its dew point, a point when the water turns into a precipitate and is then able to be collected, similar to the way a dehumidifier works. However, unlike a dehumidifier, an AWG recovers clean potable water.
Most AWG’s require a massive energy input to cool the air enough to extract the water. That was the driving motive behind Fontus- creating a water system that requires minimal, or no energy input at all. Fontus was designed around the idea of creating an alternative way of collecting clean, safe drinking water in areas where drought and unsanitary water are major issues. One of the most common means of transportation around the world is biking, especially in developing countries. With this in mind, Fontus designed the water bottle to combine with the bike to acquire freshwater. Air passes through a system of metal heat diffusers which cools the air as it passes over the fins, causing the precipitate to form and filter down into the bottle.
Fontus worked with extreme athletes to determine the major issues that people in nature are often confronted with. Their research determined that long distance hikers had to plan trips so they can always find fresh water, or they must pack enough water for the duration of the whole journey. Obviously, both come with major hindrances between adding unnecessary distance, or a whole lot of weight.
“These problems are a great restriction for hikers and our main goal became to find a solution that would give adventurers the freedom to go wherever they want!” ~ the creators at Fontus.
The Fontus Airo promises to save you the trouble, weight, and quite possibly your life whether you are hiking in the mountains, camping in the woods, or planning a survival trip, Airo will guarantee a fresh and safe source of water.
