How To Turn Thin Air Into Water | Konstantin Avdienko | TEDxTeen
“As the sun went up today in the morning, 7.4 billion people woke up to a new day. How many of you got out of the bed, took a shower, made a cup of tea or coffee, brushed their teeth, grabbed a bottle of water on the way here? Probably, many of you. Those are the daily habits we are used to, we take them for granted without a second thought. But, what if that’s not the case for over a billion people in the world?”
– Konstantin Avdienko, 2016 TEDxTeen #Untapped Speaker
Konstantin understood the importance of reflecting on essential, daily necessities. He spoke with purpose, by questioning our daily habits. We cannot be selfish or unknowing in witnessing and helping to better the circumstances of those around us.
Avdienko has traveled to several third world countries to provide engineering projects to better the overall quality of life. As the Vice President of an Engineers Without Borders Chapter, he is able to tackle some of the uncertainties of water availability on a global scale. It is through these firsthand insights, that the rest of us can begin to comprehend the positive potential impacts – individually and collaboratively. Additionally, his undergraduate interests in mechanical engineering and computer science have further progressed his understanding of ‘sustainable technology.’
There is one day in particular, that propelled his invention of ‘turning thin air into water.’ He recalls paying attention to the water condensation formed on the side of his glass of ice tea. He questioned the lack of sophistication with condensation; the vast potential of water formation to be replicated in a larger form. He came to the realization that, removing water from air would require for the correct cooling down process to occur. He pondered for several months about which agent could be used for cooling.
Ultimately, the answer was found within Earth – more specifically, the ground. He had stumbled upon this understanding while gardening with his father. He reassured us “…the water was completely drinkable, regardless of the air quality.” Lastly, he took us back full circle, to understand how his simplest solution stemmed from a beverage. While ice tea had sparked his invention, his words and motivation had empowered us to help many others with our own impact.
Photography and Images provided by Flickr | TEDxTeen
© Damaris Kyem
The Orchid Initiative 