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> The researchers estimate that if the system is scaled up to the size of a small suitcase, Go on then. Yet another MIT paper on desalination jumping the gun
by danw1979 3y ago
> The researchers estimate that if the system is scaled up to the size of a small suitcase,
Go on then.
Yet another MIT paper on desalination jumping the gun and announcing a breakthrough, that could be scaled up to modestly useful sizes if only they had the time and the meagre budget to do so.
Here’s[1] a previous announcement from Feb 2022 of a device that could produce water for a small family for only $4 of materials, that they didn’t bother building.
[1] https://news.mit.edu/2022/solar-desalination-system-inexpensive-0214 https://news.mit.edu/2022/solar-desalination-system-inexpens...
- npunt 3y agoI mean they're researchers, not builders. If this all checks out, they've done their part and this should inspire builders to run with it and commercialize or open source a printable design. Specialization is great, glad someone is focused on continually pushing the research and improving the designs, and this one supposedly improves on last year's design. There are others who are better at scaling & commercializing, and those types are probably a lot worse at basic research. Every inventor and researcher doesn't need to start a startup.
- danw1979 3y agoWouldn’t you consider “validating that it works beyond the chip-sized proof-of-concept” as part of research, especially considering the claims are that it will scale to a modest briefcase-sized unit ? We’re not talking about something that requires mass-manufacturing scale here …