Airdrop copied the Namibian beetle and learned how to extract water from desert air to irrigate crops.
The invention of Airdrop, a low-tech, atmospheric water-harvesting device, was inspired by a study of the Namibian beetle, an indigenous species that can be found in one of the driest places on earth.
Living in the Namib Desert, an environment with only half an inch of rainfall per year, the beetle can only survive by consuming the dew it collects on the hydrophilic skin of its back in the early morning.
Airdrop pumps air through a network of underground pipes; this cools the air until it condenses, delivering water to the roots of plants.
Airdrop has been designed to be easily installed by rural farmers, similar to installing an underground rainwater tank, not requiring any specialist for integration into the farming system.
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