Beetle Shower by Marta Feliksik from poland

How many beetles do you need to take a shower?

In the Namib desert, where is no water to be drunk, lives an unusual beetle with a unique ability. This little critter, due to the surface of its back, drinks water out of fog. On the beetle’s back, there are microbumps, which attract water from the fog and enable water droplets to slide down into the critter’s mouth. Observing nature and seeking sustainable solutions, scientist inspired by the namib beetle designed a mesh that mimics this strategy.
In the near future, there will be still some place in the world with a lack of water and adequate sanitation infrastructure. If we don’t take action, this problem will be getting worse and result in limited access to sanitary spaces for the people. Consequently this will intensify prevalence of many disease symptoms and infections in these regions of the world.
In the whole world, there are still some places, where is a lack of adequate infrastructure and sanitation systems. This results in limited access to sanitary spaces and leads to many disease symptoms and infections.
The principle of our project is to design a shower, using the beetle fog-harvesting strategy, to promote awareness of water consumption and hygiene in places without access to basic sanitation system.

Shower coat mimics beetle’s surface. Wind builts a shape of the shower, as a dune in a desert. Shower is formed as a hyperboloid. Beetle Shower captures 12 liters of water per day. Winds fit to the streamline shape and attract more water out of fog.

HOW IT WORKS?
1. The mesh attracts water out of fog.
2. Water droplets slide down into the water tank, which gathers 30 liters per 10 cm of its height.
3. Water is pumped up to the showerhead.