We’ve seen numerous efforts over the years to purify water and make it safe for drinking, but it wasn’t until just recently that we came across one invention designed specifically with desalinization in mind. Sure enough, Eliodomestico is an eco-distiller that uses solar power to make salt water drinkable. Created by Italian designer Gabriele Diamanti, Eliodomestico is an open source project designed to provide safe drinking water for people in developing countries. Essentially, the device works like an upside-down coffee maker to produce five liters of fresh water every day. Users begin by adding sea water in the morning. Over the course of the day, the heat of the sun causes steam to rise into a water-tight boiler. The steam is then forced down through an expansion nozzle and condenses against the lid of a collection basin. At the end of the day, users can remove the basin, which is full of fresh water and designed for transport on the head. In the video below, Diamanti explains the premise in more detail:

Eliodomestico is made from widely available materials and requires no electricity or filters; maintenance is simple, Diamanti says. So far, it has already won a Core77 Design Award and was a finalist at the Prix Émile Hermès 2011 competition. Social entrepreneurs: one to get involved in? Spotted by: Smith Alan