Outdoor AWH testing of fiber clothing.(A) Photographs showing users wearing AWH clothing while engaging in daily activities. (B) A photograph showing the components of the lightweight, portable water collection system. (C) Photographs illustrating water condensation during the collection process and the final harvested clean water from the outdoor tests in Xichang, China. (D) Top: Temperature and RH data from Xichang, measured from 0:00 on 26 March to 0:00 on 27 March 2024. Middle: Water uptake, water release, and water collection in each cycle. Bottom: Water production during outdoor tests for each cycle and final mass-related daily water production capacity of the AWH clothing. (E) Daily water production capacity of AWH clothing across different locations: tests in Xichang, China (0:00 on 26 March to 0:00 on 27 March 2024), Austin, USA (20:00 on 4 October to 20:00 on 5 October 2024), and Chengdu, China (14:00 on 4 June to 14:00 on 5 June 2024). (F) Estimated global daily water production of the AWH fiber clothing materials based on the yearly average RH. Credit: Science Advances (2026). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aed9949
Engineers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a jacket that harvests drinking water directly from the air. The technology could benefit anyone who spends a lot of time in areas without easy access to drinking water, from hobbyist hikers, campers and runners to agricultural workers, emergency responders and soldiers. The advance in fabric technology comes alongside a new benchmark for atmospheric water harvesting.
