Archimedes-Desal ™ the Only Michigan-based Qualified Team in $119 Million XPRIZE Water Scarcity Competition Update

Only Michigan-based (Royal Oak) Qualified Team in $119 Million XPRIZE Water Scarcity Competition Announces Participation in Extended Team Testing

ROYAL OAK, MI, UNITED STATES, May 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Archimedes-Desal ™ the Only Michigan-based Qualified Team in $119 Million XPRIZE Water Scarcity Competition Announces Participation in Extended Team Testing

Archimedes-Desal™, a Royal Oak-based innovation team, announced today it will participate in Extended Team Testing for Track A of the XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition, a global challenge addressing one of humanity’s most urgent crises: access to clean, affordable water.

Water insecurity affects more than 2 billion people worldwide, with population growth, climate pressures, and industrial demand placing unprecedented stress on freshwater resources. The XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition seeks breakthrough solutions that can sustainably expand access to safe water at scale.

The Michigan team’s innovation — a gravity-driven reverse osmosis system — has earned recognition from a panel of international desalination experts, a grant award, and protection under a newly issued U.S. patent.

The prototype is being assembled in Royal Oak, for critical XPRIZE Water Scarcity testing.


Latest Quotes:

“We are thrilled that the XPRIZE Water Scarcity is offering this extension” said Tom Wither, Founder of Archimedes Desal™. “As the only Michigan team, we’ll be competing with some of the world’s largest corporations and research institutes —this provides our talented team of engineers and skilled-tradesmen additional time to take on this ‘Rocky’-style challenge.”

New York Law School’s Patent Law Clinic-- click on Law Clinic Assists Innovator Addressing Water Insecurity to view yesterday’s story posted on the NYLS website.

Jose Perez, Vancouver, BC. “Over four decades in municipal water, wastewater infrastructure and marine engineering have shown me that reliability, material selection, and long-term performance are what ultimately define successful systems. Having worked extensively with flow control, pressurized environments, and corrosion-resistant design, I see strong merit in the Archimedes-Desal™ concept. A gravity-driven reverse osmosis approach has the potential to simplify system architecture and reduce energy demand, and I am pleased to support the continued development of this important technology.

WaterQuest Solutions, Bruce Hickin, CEO, Vancouver, BC. fully supports the Archimedes-Desal™ approach of using gravity as a primary driver to reduce energy demand and eliminate associated GHG emissions. This aligns directly with our mission to remove oil from hydraulic systems operating in sensitive water environments. We look forward to integrating our high-pressure water hydraulic cylinders into their desalination systems and expanding this collaboration across future applications.”


Archimedes-Desal™ will soon be exiting Stealth Mode:

But at this time here's what can be said:

• Selected by the XPRIZE Water Scarcity Judging Panel (Track A)
• Awarded XPRIZE Water Scarcity grant to advance development
• Granted a U.S. patent for our gravity-driven desalination system
• Patents pending for zero-emissions artificial lift, and energy generation / storage systems
• Pro bono patent filings provided by New York Law School (NYLS)
• Working full-scale demo currently under assembly in Royal Oak, Michigan
• Two internationally known 60+ year desalination/water ‘experts’ now serving as advisors

To Bridge a Funding Gap:

Archimedes-Desal™ has established a GoFundMe campaign inviting individuals and organizations to contribute to this cause. Supporters will receive an exclusive invitation to attend a post-XPRIZE Water Scarcity award ceremony, should the team win First ($40M), Second ($20M), Third ($10M), or Moonshot ($5M) prize.

More importantly, the team believes supporters will gain the satisfaction of helping advance a potentially ‘historic’ innovation in the fight against global water insecurity.

For More Information, Visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-team-archimedesdesal-in-xprize-challenge

Media Contact:

Tom Wither
Founder, Archimedes-Desal™
tom@aawfunding.com
1-248-541-9288

About XPRIZE

XPRIZE is the recognized global leader in designing and executing large-scale competitions to solve humanity's greatest challenges. For over 30 years, our unique model has democratized crowd-sourced innovation and scientifically scalable solutions that accelerate a more equitable and abundant future. Donate, learn more, and co-architect a world of abundance with us at xprize.org.

Thomas Wither
AAW Infrastructure Partners, L3C
+1 248-541-9288
email us here
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