Swedish designer Pavels Hedström designed and prototyped the Fog-X jacket, a wearable device that can collect fog and convert it into drinking water. The piece of equipment won the People’s Choice Lexus Design Award for 2023 thanks to both its rainwater capture ability, and the its vital sun protection properties when assembled in tent form.

The initial prototype weighs 1.7kg, made of sail material which expands to inhale from over a square metre of airspace. The design catches droplets of fog, mist or rain which drop down into a water bladder with the help of gravity. The bladder can hold up to a litre of water.

Hedström designed Fog-X with a view to helping travellers venture into remote, arid places, but it can equally be useful as a day-to-day amenity for people living without access to safe drinking water.

During a mentorship phase as part of the award, Hedström also developed a concept for an accompanying mobile app that would help users to locate foggy areas using GPS, as these spots can be scarce in the desert.

Reducing weight and ensuring that micro plastics don’t enter the catchment bladder continue to be part of Pavels’ design process, with further updates coming later in 2023.

Follow work via @inxects on Instagram to see upcoming work from Atacama, and inxects.com for project scope