A revolutionary new cheap, easy and effective method uses shockwaves for desalinating water, separating salt out by applying electric current in a process dubbed electrodialysis, thanks to Martin Bazant, engineering and mathematics professor at MIT, and his team.

Unlike straining and boiling, the process is not prone to clogs or energy-intensive. Salt-enriched and salt-depleted water separates when electrodes are attached to porous ‘frit’ made of small glass particles. The resulting flows are separated so the freshwater can be collected for use. Effectively, when the current is increased to a certain point, it generates a shockwave between these two zones, sharply dividing the streams and allowing the fresh and salty regions to be separated by a simple physical barrier at the center of the flow.

The current can kill problematic bacteria as well, helping filter as well as desalinate if needed in areas with contaminated water. This approach is “a fundamentally new and different separation system,” Bazant says. And unlike most other approaches to desalination or water purification, he adds, this one performs a “membraneless separation” of ions and particles (via Fastco and Inhabitat).

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The already-inexpensive Raspberry Pi, costing $20 to $30, now has an even cheaper new cousin, the Pi Zero that will run consumers just $5.

Aimed at people learning to program or apply computers to creative applications, thousands of units are already in production though their makers expect demand to outstrip supply for a while to come. You can read more of the specifications below, or check out their introductory video.

The specs are impressive: “A Broadcom BCM2835 application processor, 1GHz ARM11 core (40% faster than Raspberry Pi 1), 512MB of LPDDR2 SDRAM, A micro-SD card slot, A mini-HDMI socket for, 1080p60 video output, Micro-USB sockets for data and power, An unpopulated 40-pin GPIO header, Identical pinout to Model A+/B+/2B, An unpopulated composite video header, Our smallest ever form factor, at 65mm x 30mm x 5mm.”

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A team of MIT students and research staff have successfully developed a photovoltaic powered reverse osmosis (PVRO) for use in communities in need, now deployed and working in a small Mexican village. The community in question lacked dependable drinking water but receives plenty of sunshine to drive a solar-powered system like this one. Neighbors pitched in to build and run the apparatus.

The result is a system that supplies water for about 1/10th the price of what can be found in the area, and with much greater reliability. The community stands to make thousands of dollars per year on the process, some of which will be invested back into the technology to keep it running and the rest going to voted-on projects. Eventually, they hope to turn it into a business and sell clean water to tourists visiting nearby Mayan ruins.

“When you live in a very rural area, you have to do everything yourself,” the team said of the locals. “Farming, if there’s something wrong with your well, you’re the one stuck fixing it, because no one’s going to drive into the jungle to help you. So they were very handy, which made it easy for us to train them.”

“The entire time, you’re just hoping nothing gets lost in translation. The nice thing about technology is, it kind of speaks for itself. You can show with very easy diagrams and hands-on training, right next to them, that turning a valve doesn’t have to be said in so many words — you can just show them.”

The team’s next mission is to put systems in other needy communities, from jungle towns to crowded cities. The system’s design can adapt to different water qualities (utilizing a variety of different water purification processes, including reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, or electrodialysis) and its affordability makes it perfect for widespread use as well.

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A wonderfully low-tech and low-cost, MIT-designed solution for developing countries, this homemade water filter requires just a few common and inexpensive items working in conjunction with a small piece of tree.

Certain kinds of sapwood are particularly capable of filtering out dangerous E. Coli bacteria, effectively using the same natural process by which trees move water through their own trunks and branches while straining particulates. These DIY xylem filters use the branch’s organic ability to filter out particles down to 20 nanometers in size, combined with a tube and some glue and/or a metal strap to tighten the entire little apparatus.

Other plants may be even more well-suited to the process than those already tested by MIT researchers. “Today’s filtration membranes have nanoscale pores that are not something you can manufacture in a garage very easily. The idea here is that we don’t need to fabricate a membrane, because it’s easily available. You can just take a piece of wood and make a filter out of it.“

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Pre-installed with Windows, this latest competitor for world’s smallest computer is the size of a flash drive, plugs right into a monitor and gives you an operating system that fits neatly in your pocket.

Made by Archos, this device competes on price with other manufacturers who have recently released similar designs, including Lenovo and Intel. It features an Intel Atom Z3735F quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of onboard flash storage, and built-in Wi-Fi as well as a Micro-SD card slot. Lacking ports, it still requires accessories so you will have to bring your own wireless-capable keyboard and mouse to the table, but is still a powerful upgrade in terms of portability for users with home and work setups (you can simply transport your computer-on-a-stick in between).

“To control and operate the ARCHOS’ PC Stick, users can connect keyboards, mice, and other accessories to the device through Bluetooth or an USB port. In addition, the PC Stick is compatible with all Windows, Android, and iOS keyboard applications and game controls, transforming any smartphone or tablet into a keyboard.” Other models are also coming out from different makers for Linux and Chrome for those averse to Windows – the field is rich with competitors in this booming little industry. “Companies have constantly pushed boundaries to make computers smaller, and we’ve taken this challenge to the next level by offering a matchbox-sized PC for less than $100,” says Loic Poirier, CEO of ARCHOS. “Mobility is at the center of our lifestyles and the PC Stick allows us to be on-the-go and productive.” 

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