Tag Archive for: concept

Behold, The Fantastical Anti-Water Device

What if? What if there were a technology that repelled water, similar to magnets with like poles? And, what if there were a talented 3D animator who attempted to visualize the fantasy applications for such a thing?

We don’t have this technology, but we do have the mind-bending visualization via Roy Prol. Though the “Anti-Water Device” is imaginary, the visual “what if” is still stunning and breathtaking. Water towers, dams, umbrellas, underwater tunnels, even weapons of war are re-engineered and rendered in the beautiful fantasy sequence.

As is common in the land of YouTube, the comments can be as entertaining as the video. Of course, it did not take long for armchair scientists to jump into the fray:

  • “Wouldn’t such a device also reject humans and other animals, since we are made out of 60% water? Cool animation tho.”
  • “what powers it? what if there would be a power failure in the tunnel, or if someone used a EMP on a dam over a city, then the city would be destroyed xP”
  • “what if a bird shits in the water tower? ;)”
  • “If it was possible, it would be a solution to the tsunami.”
  • “Nonsense and completely against known physical laws. As per Newton’s third law, every action has a reaction – so the force with which this device repels water would be also applied against it. That would crush the device in the underwater tunnel due to the force of several tonnes of water. And it would make the ‘bomb’ go straight up because it repels water and water repels it, but it has a much smaller mass.”

Leading the creator to emphasize and remind everyone that,

  • I know action-reaction principle very well, and I know lot of physics too….. But this is just imagination!!!

It might be bad science, but it’s good creative ingenuity and a great escape!

Is Water the Silver Lining in Every Cloud?

After I posted the snickering, tongue-in-cheek writeup on the 1931 “fog farm” concept, Angela B. sent along (via inhabitat.com) information on this real and modern example of a “fog farm” from a sharp student with her head in the clouds, so to speak.

For her final thesis in Industrial Design at Germany’s Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Imke Hoehler designed the “DropNet fog collector” that harvests drinking water from fog, air and mist. The great features of her design include simplicity, zero energy requirement, easy assembly and portability (unskilled workers can quickly assemble it on flat or uneven ground.) It’s a feasible approach for isolated areas with little or no infrastructure.

Each unit reportedly collects 10-20 liters per day. Unlike the kooky Modern Mechanix fog farm concept, this isn’t conceived to irrigate farmland, but it can ensure a safe supply of drinking water in challenging conditions. Has Irme, literally, found the silver lining in every cloud? Or more importantly, a reasonable way to mine it?

In looking at the design I wonder…might there be a way to incorporate rainwater harvesting into the unit so that it could also collect those supplies when available?