Slingshot Takes Aim at Foul, Unsafe Water

Inventor Dean Kamen and his company DEKA Research have been bringing high-wow-factor design solutions to bear on issues ranging from getting from point A to point B with a Segway or an efficient electric scooter, to aiding those with a missing limb with a prosthetic arm named Luke.

Kamen and company have also, for the past several years, been hard at work on the problem of the lack of adequate, safe drinking water for far too many people around the world. Kamen is hopeful that DEKA's Slingshot will propel a drinking water solution to wherever one is needed.

Using the energy equivalent of a hair dryer, Slingshot heats and distills even the most heavily contaminated water, transforming it into safe, pure potable water. Successful demonstrations have been installed in various locations around the world, revealing Slingshot's remarkable ability to completely purify water, even with raw sewage as input, capable of generating 250 gallons daily.

So what's stopping Slingshot from really taking off? Kamen points to cost, according to CNN.

DEKA's production costs per unit of Slingshot are currently in the six figure range, but they need to be brought down to about $2,000 each in order for the those communities in greatest need to be able to acquire them.

But Kamen is optimistic they will get there, and is confident that Slingshot represents the right technology -- portable, effective, and efficient -- to help make safe water a reality for the many locations where it is unfortunately considered a luxury.

Photo courtesy of Scott Harrison, via Wikimedia Commons