Researchers slot have invented a desalination device that can turn seawater into drinking water at the push of a button.

The technology uses a technique that essentially zaps the water with electicity in order to remove salt molecules, bacteria and viruses. This eliminates the need for replacement filters and high pressure pumps,

which current commercially available desalination units require.Packaged in a suitcase-sized device, it weighs less than 10 kilograms and can be powered with a portable solar panel.

This makes it suitable for use in remote and severely resource-limited areas, according to the team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who developed it.

“This is really the culmination of a 10-year journey that I and my group have been on,” said Jongyoon Han, a professor of electrical engineering at MIT.