In space, astronauts go for long periods of time without a fresh supply of water. Floating in a capsule in outer space, they wash and drink from the same continuously recycled source. So why do we not do the same down on Earth, asks Swedish industrial designer Mehrdad Mahdjoubi.

His OrbSys Shower is a high-tech purification system that recycles water while you wash. In a similar way to space showers, it works on a “closed loop system”: after it goes down the drain, hot water from the tap is instantly purified to drinking water standard before being pumped back out of the shower-head. As the process is very quick, the water is still hot and only needs to be slightly reheated.

“This is the rocket science part. After the water is collected in the drain and analysed, the shower pump shoots it through our purification system, which consists of a micro-capsule that takes away the larger particles. Then it goes to the nano-capsule, which takes away all of the smaller contaminants, making