Unfold Design Studio of Antwerp, Belgium has created a ceramic water filter that could offer another method for ensuring clean water in developing countries. They decided to make their design open source, in the hopes that their innovation will be used and improved upon. According to Unfold, “The water filter is a prototype, part of an ongoing research project on the potential benefits of ceramic 3D printing for the production of water filters in the developing world.”
Unfold’s project uses an existing design for a water boiler as a starting point. The water boiler was built for the Open Structures project. Open Structures describes its mission as initiating a system in which “everyone designs for everyone,” a process of designing objects based on a shared modular grid to better exchange parts, experiences, and ideas. The boiler was designed to be easy to adapt and disassemble and it comes with instructions for how the relatively self-evident boilers can be mass-produced. Unfold’s innovation replaced a plastic bottle with a bisected glass bottle that holds the 3D printed ceramic water filter.
Above image: Unfold Design Studio combined a 3D printed ceramic water filter with an open source water boiler. Photograph courtesy of the designers.
Unfold Design Studio’s 3D printed ceramic water filters, paired with open source water boilers, could offer another source for clean water to developing countries. All images courtesy of the designers.
What about making it gravity feed, without the boiler? Then it isn’t tied to electricity, which can intermittent at best.
Interesting concept but a problem in areas without electricity.