In Frank Herbert's Dune series, water is so scarce on the desert planet Arrakis that the Fremen, its inhabitants, consider it sacred, and use “dead suits” to capture and recycle almost all bodily fluids. Inspired by this concept, a YouTuber from Hacksmith Industries has created a real-life version of the death suit.
The Dead Suit, as described in Herbert's first book Dune, now adapted into a two-part movie, is a micro-sandwich of high-efficiency filters and heat exchange systems. It captures perspiration, urine and feces, recycles moisture and allows the user to drink it. The suit ensures that only one thimbleful of moisture is lost per day.
Hacksmith Industries, known for ambitious movie-inspired projects such as Thor's Stormbreaker Axe and a plasma-powered lightsaber, embarked on a “one-day build” to create this dead suit. Their aim was to capture and recycle sweat and moisture from breathing, although they left out the recycling of urine and feces.
The project began with a waterproof jumpsuit. A heat exchanger, powered by a small LiPo battery, was installed on the back to condense the humidity into water droplets, which then dripped into a collection bottle. A mask with a one-way filter directed the exhaled humid air towards the condenser to collect its water content. This water fed a CamelBak bladder, allowing the user to drink through a four-stage water filter.
Tests showed that the concept worked, producing drinkable water, although it tasted no worse than typical CamelBak water. For the final suit, the team used a form-fitting plastic suit. Although the bulky gas mask and overall look may not match the suit seen in the movie, it worked well enough.
During the exercise and sauna tests, Hacksmith's head of video production, “Darryl”, generated enough moisture to drink. However, the suit has limitations, capturing moisture only from the back of Darryl's neck, leaving most of the sweat to accumulate inside the suit, explains New Atlas.
Despite these limitations, the project is promising for future applications, especially as humanity prepares for prolonged space missions. Currently, the International Space Station (ISS) recycles around 98% of all the water used by astronauts. As we prepare to spend more time in spacesuits on the Moon and Mars, it will be crucial to retain as much water as possible.
Hacksmith
