Egyptian engineering student turns air into water

Mahmoud Elkoumy designs robot to absorb moisture on Mars and turn it into drinkable water

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  A remote-controlled robot called ELU dispenses drinking water during a demonstration in Borg Al Arab desert, Egypt. All photos: Reuters

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  ELU can extract moisture from the air to produce water

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  The robot is used in Alexandria governorate, northern Egypt

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  ELU can be used to produce drinking water in harsh environments

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  Egyptian mechatronics engineer Mahmoud El Komy, 27, checks ELU during a demonstration in Borg Al Arab desert

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  The robot condenses moisture from humidity to produce water, Mr El Komy says

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  The robot has the ability to work during space flights or even on Mars, he says

A mechatronics engineer from Egypt has designed a robot that took humidity from the air and turn it into water using artificial intelligence.

Inspired by Nasa's missions to Mars, Mahmoud Elkoumy, 28, built his robot called ELU to function in weather similar to the red planet – high levels of humidity but dry. Thanks to the robot's settings, he proposes that ELU can absorb moisture on Mars and turn it into drinkable water.

The new, low-cost technology, supported by artificial intelligence, can generate large amounts of water using polymers, Mr Elkoumy said.

“I can launch plants that can generate more than 5,000 litres per day or even 50,000 litres, I can scale it up without any problems. The cost of generating water from air is relatively lower than other available technologies."

Other technology used to generate water from air, including mechanical heat exchangers, is more expensive and energy consuming, he said.

It took him nine months to complete work on ELU's final design and he says it costs about $250. The cost of generating one litre of water via ELU is 1.5 to 2 cents, in comparison to 20 cents using other technology, Mr Elkoumy said.

He hopes that his self-financed project can be used on a larger scale not only on Mars, but in other arid areas with little or no access to water.