As It Happens5:33This Ontario-based YouTuber filtered — and drank — his own sweat with a replica Dune Stillsuit
What does water filtered through the iconic Stillsuit from Dune taste like?
“Warm … and it’s got a tang to it,” YouTuber Darryl Sherk told As It Happens host Nil Koksal.
Sherk and his colleagues at Hacksmith Industries, a group of YouTubers that make real-world prototypes of fictional gadgets, have made a functioning replica of the full body suit designed to preserve the body’s moisture by capturing sweat and filtering it so it can be consumed by the wearer.
In Dune, the suit is designed to help its wearer survive for weeks in the dry desert of Arrakis, the story’s fictional planet, without another water source.
The Hacksmith Industries team, based in Cambridge, Ont., showed off the suit in a YouTube video posted last week, which has since been viewed over 350,000 times.
WATCH | YouTubers build a real-life stillsuit:
Hacksmith’s stillsuit traps moisture in, and a battery-powered device that acts like a dehumidifier draws moisture into a plastic pouch at the back of the garment.
A drinking tube connected to the pouch allowed Sherk, the project’s self-described “guinea pig”, to sip from the suit with ease.
The first prototype was simple, said Sherk. It was made of a white, plastic body covering to trap sweat. Once the engineering behind the device was deemed sound, the team added the tech to a Dune costume to make the final, realistic replica.
Sherk said he was surprised when the design, put together in only a day by his colleague Bogden Malynovskyy, worked.
“It not only worked, but it was quite fun to build. We’re thrilled that it’s a functioning thing,” said Sherk.
For Malynovskyy however, this project was easier than most. He leads the planning and making of some of Hacksmith’s larger projects — including the design of a specific Star Wars lightsaber replica that can “cut steel like butter,” which taken months of work.
With the stillsuit, “We were just focused on its functionality and getting it done in a day,” said Malynovskyy.
While the YouTuber’s version isn’t far off from the sci-fi version seen in Dune, there are a few notable differences.
On the desert planet Arrakis, stillsuits recycle all bodily liquids — including urine. Though it’s technically possible for the real life version to filter urine back into drinkable water, Sherk said that’s where he and his team drew the line.
“What are you open to putting on the internet forever, this is the real question,” said Sherk.
And while it works, the stillsuit isn’t Sherk’s battle outfit of choice, with the YouTuber noting it’s uncomfortable and impractical.
The suit only recaptured a few ounces of water — plus it smelled terrible.
“Being in it for a couple of hours, I wanted to definitely get out of it as fast as possible.”
Hacksmith Industries have brought other gadgets from the world of sci-fi to life, too — including the lightsaber from Star Wars, Captain America’s electromagnetic shield and Harry Potter’s flying broom.
The team’s goal is to not only entertain audiences with the power of science, but inspire people to pursue careers in science, technology and engineering-related careers.
“We believe that those technologies can have a positive impact on the world and really help other people,” said Malynovskyy.
He hopes that by making fictional technologies a reality, his team can inspire others to apply the scientific concepts they use to solve problems in their own lives.
“With the right mindset and skills, creating anything is possible.”
