We are all familiar with Singapore’s weather. It’s hot, wet, and mostly humid. Singaporeans sweat like pigs, and showers are our second homes.
Still, nothing can stop us from getting out in the heat and working the muscles. Cycling is a favourite sport here, and thanks to Austrian designer Kristof Retezar, we could be taking advantage of that heat and thick humidity in no time.
Retezar’s goal was to create a small, compact self-sufficient device to feed the thirsty. The Fontus, which is a contender for the James Dyson Award, is a simple device. Powered by solar cells, it is a clever device that absorbs moisture and harvests water through condensation. In an hour, you could get up to 500 ml of water in the right climatic conditions.
Here’s how it works:
In the Fontus, you will find a small cooler in the centre. It’s called the Peltier Element that’s divided into two. When powered by electricity, the top side cools while the bottom heats up. Ride your bike, and air will enter the bottom chamber at high speed, cooling it. The more the hot bottom is cooled, the colder the upper chamber gets, and that drop in temperature together with non-linear perforated walls, the speed of the air molecules gets hindered, giving it time to lose every water molecule. Water then flows through a pipe and into the bottle. Any kind of PET 500 ml bottle fits.
We are dying to see the Fontus in the flesh, but as of now, we have heard no word on when it will hit stores. Cyclists will be thrilled, but in places where groundwater is scarce and humidity is high, Retezar’s creation could be improving a good number of lives.