Oregon 13-Year-Old Invents Air-to-Water Device for Drought-Stricken Farms
Thirteen-year-old Roy Kim of Beaverton, Oregon, created a Peltier-based chamber that extracts water from humid air to irrigate farms facing drought.
Roy Kim, a 13-year-old student at Whitford Middle School in Beaverton, Oregon, engineered a device that turns atmospheric moisture into usable water for agriculture. The apparatus uses a Peltier module to create a hot side that warms incoming air and a cold side where the air cools rapidly, condensing vapor into droplets that are collected and delivered to crops via a valve. Integrated soil-moisture, temperature and humidity sensors regulate the system, ensuring plants receive appropriate irrigation while conserving energy.
Tests showed the unit can produce 10 ml of water over two hours, with a peak efficiency of roughly 135.8 g per kilowatt-hour. Kim entered the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, aiming to raise awareness of his solution, and currently stands among the top ten national finalists, with the final event slated for October 12-13, 2026. His invention could reduce reliance on groundwater and surface water for the roughly 212,000 U.S. farms that depend on irrigation.
Why it matters
A low-cost, renewable water source could help farmers cope with increasing drought conditions.
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