Most of us are aware about basic Water Harvesting methods and one should be aware of them as scarcity of water is going to hit Earth soon. Water might be the basic need but is life possible without it? No! Our sensitivity towards water is the need of the hour.

The students at Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design understood that need and have come up with an amazing product concept that converts the rainwater into drinkable water. Well, this one line concept is enough to turn heads around. Let's learn about its functioning from these two young bright students and the creative thinkers of 'Raincatch' - Hyeona Yang and Joshua Noble:


Hyeona & Joshua, let's start with a brief introduction of yours.

My name is Hyeona Yang from South Korea. I’m an Interaction design graduate student at CIID *Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design* and currently living in Copenhagen. I'm interested in interaction design, design research and technology. I would like to bridge the gap between ‘early adopters’ who take advantage of advanced technology and ‘late adopters’ who don’t. I also like traveling and sports such as skydiving, bungee jumping, glacier hiking, and so on.

I’m Joshua Noble, I’m a writer, programmer, and designer from the US. I’m also a student at CIID and currently living in Copenhagen as well. I’m very interested in how “low” tech and high tech thinking can be married in an approach to re-making our world. I’m also very interested in how technology influences our idea of creativity.


Tell us about the fascinating concept 'Raincatch' uses.

Raincatch is a multitasking garment which acts as a coat and as a water gathering, purification, and storage system that allows the wearer to take a drink whenever they’re thirsty. The concept is like a personal rain barrel or a do-it-yourself CamelBak. Instead of filling up a water bottle and taking it with you, you simply catch your drinking water as it falls from the sky.





















Of what materials is it made up of? (design process)

We worked with existing raincoats to reform and used the collection of tubes emanating from the front of the black coat to give it a more stylish look instead of a large tank in the back. We hid the compartments and materials for the chemical purification process in the coats collar, hence the high Dracula-like appearance of the collar. The aesthetics of the coat are simple but elegant, showing the water and the internal workings of the coat, but hiding the water storage to maintain a clean form factor.


























Would you like to tell us in brief, how exactly does it work?

The basic idea is that the drinkable water is then stored in small pockets around the shoulders and the wearer can take sips at any time via a series of plastic tubes sticking out of the raincoat. Dispersing the water storage around the coat means that the coat weighs evenly, allowing the wearer to walk without sloshing excessively or becoming unbalanced. The collar of the coat collects rain and filters it down the back of the coat where it would be passed through charcoal filters and then purified using a simple iodine chemical process.





Won't the jacket become too heavy with water filling in the pipes?

The water is then stored around the lower back and hips of the coat where the weight can be carried by the wearer without strain. The idea is not that you carry excessive amounts of water with you, but rather, enough for a few hours or a day of hiking.
























How did you guys come up with such a creative idea? How much time did it take you to complete the whole process?

Raincatch was devised in the Performative Design course at CIID, which was a two week course, so the idea needed to be conceived quickly and prototyped rapidly. We chose to work with the idea of a possibly not-so-distant future in which rainwater would need to be filtered before drinking and how that could be done for a hiker, nomad, or simply the momentarily infrastructure-independent wanderer. The idea of clean drinking water and access to it is one of the most important issues for the 21st century and we believe in creating simple and minimalist solutions.


What would you like to say to those who are questioning the viability of 'Raincatch'?

It is a concept prototype, so of course there are obstacles to putting into mass production. Our goal was not to create a product ready for production, but to create a thought-provoking design prototype that would ask people to think about water and about wearable technology in a different way.


So, what would be your next step now? When are you going to launch it?

We’re both quite busy with school right now so there are no plans to start trying to launch it at the moment. Perhaps when we’re both finished with school and ready to begin speaking with potential commercial partners.


What message do you have for our readers?

We believe that little nudge design can change huge things. We looking forward to seeing many crazy small ideas make change the World.


Hyeona and Joshua, I need not say that Raincatch has an awesome concept as the whole web is talking about it. So, it was a great experience talking to you guys. Thank you so much for sparing time for us. We really look forward to its launch. All the best!