UT Engineers Develop Jacket That Harvests 14-30 Ounces of Drinking Water From Air
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 26
UT Engineers Develop Jacket That Harvests 14-30 Ounces of Drinking Water From Air
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 26
Summary
University of Texas engineers built a wearable AirGel jacket that turns humidity into 14 to 30 ounces of drinking water using only sunlight.
The hydrogel-based fabric absorbs water vapor, releases it when heated by the sun, then condenses and collects the liquid for direct use at the point of need.
Tests showed the jacket delivered a threefold to 10-fold performance gain over conventional water-harvesting materials, which are typically bulkier box or panel systems.
The team said the portable design could aid soldiers, emergency responders and disaster-relief operations, while UT is also exploring tents and other outdoor gear with a patent pending.
The project targets a broader problem: researchers said water scarcity threatens two-thirds of the global population, and separate AirGel devices have already pulled record amounts of water in New Mexico's Chihuahuan Desert and humid Austin.
This jacket produces drinking water from thin air, but what is the true cost of deploying it globally?
As Texas pioneers water-from-air tech, can it solve the water crisis fueled by its own AI boom?
Revolutionizing Water Access: AirGel Jacket Achieves 3–10x Efficiency in Wearable Atmospheric Water Harvesting
Overview
The University of Texas at Austin has introduced the AirGel Jacket, a prototype that integrates a sophisticated water-harvesting device as part of the broader AirGel invention. This technology enables the direct extraction of clean drinking water from the air, providing a vital solution for people in water-scarce environments. The AirGel invention won the top prize in the 2025 National Collegiate Inventors Competition, highlighting its innovative design and potential. As a result, the AirGel Jacket stands out as a pivotal development in addressing global water challenges and marks a new era in personal water harvesting.