Low cost device makes clean water

. The Collapsible Solar Still is the brainchild of Dominic Michaelis. It consists of a 600mm square tray, with four internal trays for raw water and a transparent roof shaped in the form of four pyramids. Water placed in the internal trays evaporates, condenses on the insides of the pyramids, runs down and is collected by a rim, from which it flows under gravity into a reservoir bag. For transport, the upper transparent section can be placed upside down in the tray so that the whole arrangement packs flat. Michaelis told us: “In my garden in the South of France it produces just over a litre a day, but should give 1.5-2 litres under proper conditions. Women in third world countries have to walk miles to get clean water. This should be enough for them.” The top is made is made of UV retarded, food viable plastic. If made as a single pyramid, it would have been too high to go into the tray for transport. The bottom has a moulded cross, which can be used to hold water and as a levelling device. Agent Richard Paine of Inventorlink Products says it was originally licensed six years ago but is only now being produced. While the inventor sees its main use in Third World countries – and has made it correspondingly cheap to produce – it might also be thrown in the back of the SUV or Land Rover for camping trips or expeditions closer to home.