Indoor plumbing and unlimited clean water aren’t available everywhere. That’s why this clever, compact shower that recycles the same water several times — after purifying it after each use! — seems very handy.
It’s called Hotaru, and TechCrunch spotted it at South by Southwest this week in Austin. The Tokyo-based startup behind it says that its shower could let a family of three each take five-minute showers every day for up to two weeks with just 20L of water. That’s over 20 showers with the same water.
Sound gross to you? Well, in addition to onboard water reservoirs, there’s also a built-in purifier that cleans the water each time it’s used. Sensors let you know when the water finally needs to be swapped out. And when you’re all done, the whole thing collapses into the base and can be transported anywhere.
The Hotaru is still in the early stages of development, though. Hotaru plan to have it available in 2017 for $US3000 ($4027). I’m going to time my showers and try not to feel wasteful and guilty in the meantime.
Portable shower from Hotaru filters water for days of showers while camping. #SXSW2016 pic.twitter.com/vG5MDYBKco
— Adam Balkin (@AdamBalkin) March 13, 2016
[Hotaru via TechCrunch]