Engineers Create Stillsuit That Turns Urine and Sweat Into Drinkable Water; How Can It Preserve and Recycle Moisture From Human Body?

Exploring hostile landscapes may now be possible without worrying about the source of potable drinking water, thanks to the invention of the Dune-inspired stillsuit.

Water From a Full Body Suit

In 1965, American author Frank Herbert released an epic science fiction novel, "Dune," which talks about the adventure to an inhospitable world of planet Arrakis. Those who were adventurous enough to explore the desert landscapes wear a full-body suit called a "still suit." This clothing can preserve all of the moisture in the human body through a filter that recycles both urine and sweat.

As dramatized in the 2021 movie adaptation of the novel and its more recent sequel, the stillsuit was shown containing a tube inserted into the nostrils of the wearer. It was designed to replenish the water levels of the user without relying on an external source.

While the concept of the stillsuit is fictional in nature, engineers at the YouTube channel The Hacksmith attempted to create their own version of the device. Using simple technology, they showed that the fictional stillsuit is not nearly as far-fetched as it sounds.

The DIY stillsuit does not look almost as sleek as the one portrayed in the 2021 blockbuster adaptation since it is just a Tyvek suit with an off-the-rack Dune costume worn on top of it. Still, the engineers were able to collect the body's moisture, allowing team member Darryl Sherk to drink the filtered water through a tube.

The designers used a thermoelectric cooler, a tiny gridded device that can cool a computer or other appliances by running an electrical charge through various types of metal. The cold side of the device remained inside the suit, where it attracted moisture in the trapped air, almost like a dehumidifier.

A drinking bladder was included together with an in-line water filter bought from the local sports supplies store. These components collected the resulting water and enabled the wearer to suck it up like a straw.

The DIY still suit is far from the device portrayed in the movie and likely will not allow a person to survive on a hot landscape for very long. After all, the story is set about 20,000 years in the future, so there is enough time for technological breakthroughs and inventions.

Real-Life Wastewater Harvesting

Last year, astronauts aboard the International Space Station reached an important milestone for the future of space travel by filtering their wastewater with a new system. According to a statement from NASA, the astronauts were able to successfully recover 98% of their wastewater, about 3% to 4% increase from what was achieved by the previous system.

The new system involves a multistep process where urine is first distilled through the Urine Processor Assembly to produce water and some leftover urine brine. Meanwhile, the Brine Processor Assembly takes the brine and places it through a special membrane. Then it creates humid air by blowing warm air to allow the water in the brine to evaporate.

Finally, the humidity in the air goes through a series of filtering processes which involve a catalytic reaction and iodine treatment.