One of the coolest things about the tech world is when science fiction becomes science reality. A research team in the US has developed a system, in the form of a snug-fitting pair of pants, to collect urine and extract potable water from it. The Dune-like technology is aimed at replacing the diapers worn by astronauts during spacewalks and perhaps even PC gamers, too dedicated to their monitors for kill streak-breaking toilet trips.
Spacewalks, or extravehicular activities (EVAs) as they’re more correctly termed, are extremely challenging affairs. The spacesuits that the astronauts must wear not only have to combat the dangers of micrometeorites and extremes in temperatures, but they also need to sustain a person working non-stop for eight hours or more.
Toilet breaks aren’t feasible, as it takes many hours to get in or out of a spacesuit. So adult-sized diapers, called Maximum Absorbency Garments (MAGs), are used to collect any waste generated during the EVA.
A team of researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell University in the US (via the Guardian) have developed a system that looks infinitely better the diapers and also immediately sets off Dune vibes. Rather than a bulky absorbent material that stores urine and faeces around your nethers, the new design comprises a pair of snug-fitting pants fitted with a vacuum catheter for urine collection.
That liquid is then run through a battery-powered forward-and-reverse osmosis system to filter it into potable water, which can then be pumped around to the astronaut for consumption. The research paper suggests that “flavored electrolyte powder” can be added to provide vital salts and carbohydrates and make the water more palatable. I can just picture executives at Red Bull and Gatorade already dreaming up potential marketing projects for this.
Even though astronauts can eat low-residue diets before EVAs, poops still happen and the ‘stillsuit’ pants can’t recycle them, so absorbent diapers are still required. However, the garment does look considerably more comfortable to wear, so that’s got to be a huge plus.
Some of the downsides are that the energy required to drive the filtering would require spacesuits to be fitted to larger batteries, and the current design weighs in at 8 kg (17.6 lbs), making the suit’s backpack more cumbersome. That’s not too much of an issue for orbital or in-flight spacewalks but on, say, the surface of the Moon, extra mass puts additional stress on the astronauts.
The research team argues that the “improved performance and sufficient water in case of a contingency scenario” is a worthy trade for the increase in mass and battery requirements. There’s also potential for the technology to be used outside of the space industry, too, and there are plenty of medical applications for something that’s far more hygienic and less bulky than an adult diaper.
If I’m permitted to be somewhat silly (or nausea-inducing), I can imagine there will be a few ‘dedicated’ gamers interested in this, as I genuinely know a few people who wear garments to ensure that they can play games non-stop, for hours on end, without any toilet breaks.
I wish I was but I’m honestly not joking.