Solarstill Box
Project Overview
About
Many off-grid communities have limited access to safe drinking water, forcing households to rely on saline or contaminated sources or spend hours collecting water elsewhere. Solarstill Box uses sunlight to purify water without electricity, pumps or chemicals. Water flows across stepped trays, where solar heat causes it to evaporate; the vapour then condenses on a transparent cover and is collected separately as drinking water. Its lightweight, flat-pack design can be assembled quickly and repaired using replaceable parts. Field tests in Tanzania produced 6 to 7.5 litres of potable water daily under favourable sunlight, offering an affordable household water source.
Team
Jungwoo Kim
Jungwoo Kim is an industrial designer and design researcher pursuing a Ph.D. in Industrial Design at KAIST, where he works at the ID+IM Design Laboratory. His practice spans products, mobility, spaces, and branding, with a focus on translating complex technologies and social contexts into tangible and intuitive experiences. Through product systems, hardware experiences, and social-impact projects, he takes an integrated, practice-driven approach to creating solutions that are approachable, meaningful, and relevant to everyday life.
Minsu Kim
I am a master’s student in Industrial Design at KAIST, South Korea. My work focuses on developing practical design solutions for social and environmental challenges through field research, prototyping, and user-centered design. I am particularly interested in how design can translate complex problems into simple and accessible products. Through projects such as SOLARSTILL BOX, I aim to create sustainable solutions that can respond to real needs and generate meaningful impact in everyday life.