YouTube channel Hacksmith Industries has brought science fiction to life by building a working prototype of the iconic “stillsuit” from Frank Herbert’s “Dune” series. This innovative suit, designed to capture and recycle body fluids into drinkable water, mirrors the survival gear worn by the desert-dwelling Fremen on the arid planet of Arrakis.
In Herbert’s 1965 epic, water is so precious on Arrakis that it is revered by the Fremen, who use still suits to survive the harsh desert environment. These suits are described in meticulous detail in the first book of the series. Planetologist Liet Kynes explains the stillsuit’s function to Duke Leto Atreides, emphasizing its efficiency in reclaiming nearly all of the wearer’s body moisture.
“It’s basically a micro-sandwich – a high-efficiency filter and heat-exchange system. The skin-contact layer’s porous. Perspiration passes through it, having cooled the body… near-normal evaporation process. The next two layers… include heat exchange filaments and salt precipitators. Salt’s reclaimed. Motions of the body, especially breathing and some osmotic action provide the pumping force. Reclaimed water circulates to catch pockets from which you draw it through this tube in the clip at your neck… Urine and feces are processed in the thigh pads. In the open desert, you wear this filter across your face, this tube in the nostrils with these plugs to ensure a tight fit. Breathe in through the mouth filter, out through the nose tube. With a Fremen suit in good working order, you won’t lose more than a thimbleful of moisture a day.”
Building the Stillsuit:
Hacksmith Industries, known for their ambitious and creative projects inspired by popular culture, took on the challenge of creating a real-life stillsuit. Their past projects include recreations of Thor’s Stormbreaker Axe and a plasma-powered lightsaber, showcasing their knack for turning fantasy into reality. The stillsuit project, however, presented unique challenges and required a blend of engineering and innovative thinking.
How It Works
The team began with a basic waterproof suit and incorporated a heat exchanger powered by a small LiPo battery pack. This component creates a cold surface inside the suit, allowing humidity from the wearer’s body to condense and be collected. The prototype also includes a one-way filter mask that directs the moist air from the wearer’s breath over the condenser element, capturing additional water.
To ensure the water collected was safe to drink, the Hacksmith team used a four-stage water filter system. The collected moisture drains into a CamelBak bladder, enabling the wearer to hydrate through a nozzle fitted back into the mask. While the initial design was somewhat bulky and not particularly stylish, it demonstrated the core functionality of a stillsuit.
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Testing and Results:
The prototype suit was put to the test in various conditions, including physical exercise and sauna environments. The head of video production at Hacksmith, Darryl, donned the suit and was able to produce enough moisture to sip on, though the efficiency was far from the near-perfect reclamation described in “Dune.” The team acknowledged that the suit primarily captured moisture from the back of Darryl’s neck, with much of his sweat likely pooling at the bottom of the suit.
Despite its limitations, the real-life stillsuit project holds significant potential, particularly as humanity looks towards extended space exploration and colonization of other planets. The International Space Station already recycles about 98% of water used on board, and further advancements in moisture-reclaiming technology could prove vital for long-term missions on the Moon and Mars.
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From Fiction to Reality
Hacksmith Industries’ stillsuit project is a remarkable example of how science fiction can inspire real-world innovation. While the suit may not yet match the efficiency of its fictional counterpart, it represents a significant step forward in the development of wearable water-reclamation systems. As technology advances, the dream of a fully functional stillsuit that allows humans to thrive in the harshest environments becomes increasingly attainable.
