Would you drink your own urine? Maybe you want to think about it four or five times, but for a Fremen on Arrakis, it’s not even a question. In a brutal desert, capable of killing any unprotected adult in less than two hours, the stillsuit is an essential resource for conserving water. Now, how about creating one in real life? The people at Hacksmith Industries (previously The Hacksmith) accepted the challenge, and although they took several shortcuts, their 24-hour prototype seems to work “well”…
The official description of the stillsuit from the Dune universe hasn’t changed much over the years: In general terms, it’s a portable system of filtration and heat exchange. Its multi-layer design allows it to absorb moisture from the body (mainly sweat, breath, urine, and feces), filtering impurities to obtain safe water, which ends up stored in different internal pockets. A tube in the neck enables the user to drink that recovered liquid, and their own movement (including breathing) provides the energy and the “pump action” necessary for the whole circuit to work.
So, the stillsuit is definitely a science fiction object… but its theory isn’t as far from reality as we expected. How absurd or difficult would it be to create a replica? The goal is simply to capture the body’s moisture, filter that liquid, store it, and drink it. The people at Hacksmith Industries (whom we remember for their Star Wars prototype lightsaber, and a reaction engine melting faces) decided to give it a try, setting a 24-hour limit.
Is the Dune stillsuit possible?
In essence, their first prototype follows the “personal sauna” approach: an airtight suit, gloves, a mask, a hydration bladder, a filter, and a heat exchange system with a Peltier module serve as the base. The participant started exercising, and condensation did the rest. The result? Lukewarm water.
The second version uses a “Bunny Suit” (or “Cleanroom Suit”), and a stillsuit costume to solve the appearance issue. Replacing the battery is a complicated process (the problem is reaching it with so many layers), and “assembling” the suit isn’t something one can do alone (or at least not without great difficulty), but the recovered liquid passes through a four-phase filter, and beyond the unpleasant temperature… it’s water. Obviously, the amount available isn’t very large, and from a technical standpoint, it prioritizes breath and doesn’t completely solve heat dissipation, but this might warrant a long-term project…
