Dean Kamen's Portable Water Purifier

[Clark Gilbert]

I don't post much anymore, but this popped into my mind with the recent hurricane in the south. It seems like using a generator to power the device could have easily provided water to those who needed it.

Here is a little information on the device.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/02/28/BU156573.DTL
http://www.time.com/time/2003/inventions/invwater.html
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/search.php?searchid=472697

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/8292/invwater7ev.jpg

[Joe Matt]

If it was available and widely distributed, yes, it could have helped. Of course, better government action in prevention and dealing with the hurricane, better supplies, and other things would help as much, if not more.

[artdutra04]

I know trying to capitalize off a something as severe as Hurricane Katrina is ethically wrong. But this would prove to be the perfect public relations for Dean's water purifier. After all, all we hear on the news is how the water is 10 times more polluted with bacteria than the safe limit. His invention would not only help, but could be a major boost to the reconstruction - not only does it produce clean drinking water, but it also generates electricity at the same time. This is exactly what is most desperately needed in New Orleans, Biloxi, and all the other ravanged towns and cities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

[bhweezer]

A group of engineers are using something similar to this to provide water for hospitals in Biloxi, Gulfport, and Hancock County in Mississippi. They are taking the salt water from the Gulf of Mexico and converting it into clean water. There system is massive, but they can deploy anywhere in the country and it only takes them a few hours to set up.

[MattB703]

If it was available and widely distributed, yes, it could have helped. Of course, better government action in prevention and dealing with the hurricane, better supplies, and other things would help as much, if not more.


I know that our government has some pretty good resources at their disposal, but exactly how were they supposed to improve hurricane prevention? :confused:

[Madison]

I know that our government has some pretty good resources at their disposal, but exactly how were they supposed to improve hurricane prevention? :confused:

They should have at their disposal a highly-mobile battery of giant fans that can be deployed along any coast to blow away incoming hurricanes and tsunamis, of course.

[Joe Matt]

They should have at their disposal a highly-mobile battery of giant fans that can be deployed along any coast to blow away incoming hurricanes and tsunamis, of course.


Took the words right out of my mouth M.

Nah, what I ment was the various proposed dams and other things to put around the city and into the water that would prevent massive surges of water from drowing out the city. That's one thing that would have been a prevention.