Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are testing a new device designed to extract water for the air in desert regions. The water harvesting device uses hydrogel, an absorbent material that looks black bubble wrap that absorbs water vapor directly from the atmosphere. It is now being testing in California’s Death Valley. The new technology can extract humidity from even the driest environments, says Paul Westerhoff, a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Fulton Schools at Arizona State University. The process is expensive and raises some concerns, he says, but is nevertheless drawing widespread interest. He foresees commercial uses eventually multiplying.

See also: These devices harvest drinking water from the air in the planet’s driest places. Critics say they’re an expensive distraction, CNN Climate