Skip to main content

Could the Exaeris AcquaTap solve the world’s water crisis?

Exaeris AcquaTap
Portable enough for a camping trip or RV, the AcquaTap can pull 5 gallons of water per day from the air. Image used with permission by copyright holder
Promotional image for Tech For Change. Person standing on solar panel looking at sunset.
This story is part of Tech for Change: an ongoing series in which we shine a spotlight on positive uses of technology, and showcase how they're helping to make the world a better place.
Updated less than 5 days ago

By 2030, the Earth’s population is expected to be around 9 billion, as humanity swells to flood every bit of dry land across the planet. The world will require 40% more fresh water than it has today, according to the 2030 Water Resources Group. And the amount of drinkable water that’s going to be created for all these thirsty bodies? Exactly zero … unless we can leverage the vast, unseen resources that exist all around us.

“There are, what, 37 quadrillion gallons of water in the air around us today? There’s an ocean of water up there that no one has really tapped into,” John Galbraith, the CEO of Exaeris Water Innovations, told Digital Trends exclusively. “The atmospheric water supply is just enormous,” agrees Mike Joyce, COO of the company.

Recommended Videos

Think about it: We constantly reference the humidity level, a number that spells out exactly how much of the air that we wade through is water. It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity that will kill you, the joke goes — but Exaeris thinks it’s the humidity that can save us.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

It’s no secret that all the water vapor in the air can be extracted through the process of condensation. You see this any time you put a cool can of Coke down on a counter poolside, and watch the water bead up and run down the side of the can. Most techniques for extracting this water require a compressor, which passes refrigerated liquid across an evaporator coil, much like your fridge does. (Water is a waste byproduct in your fridge!) The only catch: Refrigerators are big, and they require a ton of power to operate. Doing it at any scale is impractical, to say the least. There’s a reason groups like The Thirst Project aim to address the world’s water needs by actively building hand-pump freshwater wells rather than simply passing out new fridges.

“An affordable device that’s available to millions of people around the world … that’s a game-changer. That’s a lifesaver,” Joyce said. So his company built one, spending years in stealth mode to identify, develop, and patent technologies that can extract water from the atmospheric water supply without relying on vapor compression.

At CES 2020, the company announced what it calls the AcquaTap technology; at CES 2021, Exaeris will unveil the first product using the tech, with plans to start taking orders at the Outdoor Retail Show in June and shipping it by the end of 2021. The portable device will weigh around 30 pounds and sell for less than $2,000, the pair told us. It will adapt to any power supply, from an outlet to solar power to battery, thanks to the miniaturized technology within, which will require very little power — equivalent to running a few incandescent lightbulbs all day long, Galbraith, co-inventor of the technology, tells Digital Trends.

While the company would not reveal the details of the patented technology, they did describe it as “hyperacceleration” of the condensation rate, allowing the device to produce 3.5 to 5 gallons of water a day, essentially for pennies per day. A companion app will allow owners to measure efficiency and output, and to program run time, if the AcquaTap performs better overnight, for example. The company will sell bladder bags for storage, irrigation devices, and other accessories to make the initial product work, and plans to scale the technology in the future for larger applications.

There are several target markets for such a product, including survivalists who routinely spend $2,000 or so per year on water already, in addition to the outdoor recreation space, where such a device has obvious applications. Beyond that, there’s the humanitarian potential of the AcquaTap, which could be a lifesaving part of the disaster relief kit brought in by organizations such as The Red Cross in the wake of hurricanes, tornadoes, and other disasters.

“There are parts of Puerto Rico that still don’t have functional infrastructure and water,” Joyce pointed out. There have been concerns in recent months about the global supply chain, which is making it hard to buy a new laptop and complicating your plans to buy a new VW or Audi. Joyce says his devices will be manufactured entirely in the U.S., to avoid these concerns.

“We want a good, reliable source, and we want that to be made in the U.S.,” he said.

We’ve written about ways to tap into the atmospheric water supply for years. In 2018, Digital Trends reported on an invention from MIT that pulls water from thin air, and a nanofiber cloth with similar capabilities, invented by researchers at Ohio’s University of Akron. But turning it into a product you can buy? Something about the size of a cooler that costs less than $2,000? That’s Tech for Change. That’s a lifesaver.

Jeremy Kaplan
As Editor in Chief, Jeremy Kaplan transformed Digital Trends from a niche publisher into one of the fastest growing…
Tech for Change: At CES 2021, tech promises to create clean, pure water for all
The AcquaTap from Exaeris

CES, the leading gadget show in the country, promises no shortage of new TVs, exoskeletons, headphones, and even emotional robots that might be a great companion for your child. But beyond the bleeding-edge gadgets and consumer electronics, there are a number of companies using high tech to solve the lowest of problems: There’s simply not enough clean drinking water in the world.

Some 20% of people reportedly lack access to drinking water, and can’t simply “turn on the faucet.” Meanwhile, corporations around the globe contaminate more water than they ever purify. Fortunately, tech can help, thanks to companies like Exaeris Water Innovations, which last year announced and this year plans to roll out the AcquaTap, a remarkable portable system for pulling water directly from the air all around you. The device can make up to 5 gallons per day, the company says.

Read more
TCL’s unusual NXTPAPER tablet won’t ruin your sleep
TCL's NEXTPaper tabler

TCL’s NXTPAPER is no ordinary tablet. It’s the first device to use TCL’s clever new NXTPAPER screen technology, over an LCD or AMOLED panel, which has many of the benefits of an E-Ink screen but in full color and with a refresh rate high enough to make Google Android a usable operating system on it. It’s part of TCL’s CES 2021 announcements and further evidence of how it’s bringing its screen tech prowess to mobile.

The full-color screen measures 8.8-inches, has a 1440 x 1080 resolution, and is based on IPS technology similar to many LCD screens found on tablets, laptops, and (in few cases) smartphones. The difference here is there’s no backlight, and the NXTPAPER technology reuses natural light to brighten the display. This means there’s no flicker and no harmful blue light, making the screen safer and more comfortable to use for long periods, and removing worry it'll ruin your sleep patterns. TCL has secured 26 different patents related to eye protection for the NXTPAPER’s screen technology.

Read more
LG’s swanky, futuristic bed concept has a pop-up transparent OLED TV on the end
LG transparent rollable smart bed TV

Thanks to advancements in display tech, manufacturers have been able to rethink and bend the form of televisions in unimaginable ways. For example, at CES 2020, LG showed off a roll-up TV that could retract into a soundbar. Now, at CES 2021, LG is back with yet another crazy idea: A transparent TV that can roll up from the foot of a bed.

LG says it has managed to achieve 40 percent transparency on a 55-inch OLED screen -- a dramatic improvement over previous generations that were only about 10 percent see-through. Transparency is key in this concept because the Smart Bed TV, as it's called, isn’t simply meant to stream TV shows and movies. It can also function as a smart home device and roll up from the bed to show you information -- like the time, weather, or when your morning alarm is set to go off.

Read more