Ford engineers are working on a system that would allow vehicles to collect and recycle condensation produced by vehicle air conditioners, turning waste water into potable drinks on hot days demanding AC use.

The On-The-Go H2O prototype unveiled by the company is a much simpler version of the envisioned device, but does basically the same thing: humidity is turned into drinking water stored in a tank and ready to dispense.

Drivers and passengers will be able to tap into the system via a dispenser faucet situated between the front pair of seats. The technology can generate more than 64 ounces of water per hour, or about four drinking bottles’ worth. It could be particularly handy in hot and remote locations, not to mention saving on bottle production and waste.

While there is a ways to travel between concept and reality, the team in Detroit, Michigan, hopes to see this gadget hitting the road as part of vehicles sometime in the near future.

The post H20 to Go: Ford Car Designed to Pull Water from Thin Air first appeared on Gajitz.

If your New Year’s resolutions included ‘consume more booze, but not alone’ this may be the mechanical friend for you, though be careful: he could well drink you under the table.

Developed by a South Korean inventor, Park Eun Chan, this may be the world’s first alcoholic robot. Named Robot Drinky, it acts as your companion while you toss back shots, beers or whatever you drink of choice may be.

It will even clink glasses with you, aside from, of course, pouring liquids down its own artificial gullet. As a bonus: when you are all done for the night, your robo-friend’s glass stomach can be turned back into more drinks for you, or for him the next time ’round.

The post Lonely? Robotic Drinking Buddy Clinks & Drinks With You first appeared on Gajitz.

In Los Angeles, close to 100,000,000 small plastic balls have been deployed into area reservoirs, all part of an unusual plan to reduce evaporation and pollution in public water reserves.

The 4-inch spheres, known as “shade balls,” help prevent carcinogen contamination while also keeping water from disappearing into the air under the heat of the sun. The layer of balls acts as a shield against algae growth and animal-base contamination, too.

At three balls for a dollar, the cost adds up, but the estimated savings is there too: an expected reduction of water loss by around 300,000,000 gallons annually (or: 3 gallons per ball), which is enough drinking water for close to 2,000 people a year. The polyethylene compound also can prevent a harmful chemical reaction, saving residents from being exposed to bromate.

The post World’s Biggest Ball Pit: Millions of Balls Slow LA Drought first appeared on Gajitz.

Some countries have strict laws against biking while drunk, but here in the US that’s left up to the individual states – and the policy is notoriously ambiguous. Japanese company KOOWHO may not be able to clarify the cycling while drunk laws where you live, but it can let you (and a friend) know when you’re too tipsy to pedal home.

Most people look at cycling as a safer alternative to driving when they’re drunk, and in a way they’re right. Since you aren’t driving a couple tons of hulking mass, you’re more likely to hurt only yourself if you crash on a bike. But there are still plenty of good reasons to hoof it or call a cab after an evening of imbibing.

Alcoho-Lock is a bike lock that will only open up and let you ride home if you can prove you’re sober enough to bike safely. You blow into it, just like the alcohol-detection devices that unlock a car’s ignition system. If it judges you too impaired to bike, it will still open up for you – but it will also notify a friend or family member.

The notification is made through the proprietary app; when you first get the Alcoho-Lock you set up a person to notify in case of drunken cycling. The idea is that the friend will either talk you out of riding your bike or offer to come pick you up. At around $300 US, it’s a rather expensive way to stay safe that requires a lot of discipline on the part of the user. Still, if it can keep a few people from eating asphalt (and maybe a few others from being ticketed) it seems like a solid idea. The Alcoho-Lock is available for preorder here.

The post Sober Cycling: Bike Lock Won’t Let You Pedal Impaired first appeared on Gajitz.

To address to rising drought emergency in California, San Diego is building the largest desalination plant in America – while construction will cost $1 billion, it will provide drinking water to over 300,000 people in the southern part of the state.

Opening in November near San Diego, the Carlsbad Desalination Project (and project of Poseidon Water) takes advantage of ever-lowering costs to purifying the copious amounts of saltwater readily available to coastal cities.

Using a reverse-osmosis processing system, the approach still has high energy demands and may have environmental consequences as well, so while it can address the serious and pressing issue of water availability in Southern California it is not an entirely green project and should still be considered a part of a larger plan for conservation and smart usage.

Critics also note that the plant could become unnecessary if the rains return, but even without climate change factors in the mix the state has long had issues with water and this could be just the diversification it needs to weather (a lack of) future storms. 50,000,000 gallons a day is not nearly enough to supply the whole state, but could be used in conjunction with other measures to address regional lack of water.

The post Coastal Desalination Plant to Produce 50MM Gallons a Day first appeared on Gajitz.