( CNN ) -- In space , astronauts go for years 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 , asked Swedish industrial designer Mehrdad Mahdjoubi , do we not do the same on Earth ? This was the concept behind the OrbSys Shower -- a high-tech purification system that recycles water while you wash . In the eyes of Mahdjoubi , we should start doing it now , before it becomes a necessity . So how does it work ? Similar to space showers , it works on a `` closed loop system : '' hot water falls from the tap to the drain and is instantly purified to drinking water standard and then pumped back out of the showerhead . As the process is quick , the water remains hot and only needs to be reheated very slightly . As a result , it saves more than 90 % in water usage and 80 % in energy every time you shower , while also producing water that is cleaner than your average tap . `` With my shower , which is constantly recycling water , you 'd only use about five liters of water for a 10 minute shower ... In a regular shower you would use 150 liters of water -- 30 times as much . It 's a lot of savings , '' explains Mahdjoubi . According to research carried out by his company , Orbital Systems , these savings translate to at least â‚¬1000 ( $ 1351 ) off your energy bills each year . Mahdjoubi proposed the OrbSys shower while studying Industrial Design at the University of Lund in Sweden . His concept formed part of a collaborative project with NASA 's Johnson Space Center , which looks to drive design concepts that could potentially assist space expeditions . `` In an extreme environment such as a space mission to Mars , design concepts are brought forward to use all of the possible resources to make it there and back . I do n't see any reason why we ca n't be as efficient on Earth as we can be in space , '' he says . According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) , 1.2 trillion gallons of water are used every year for showering in the United States alone . And yet , rather disturbingly , across the world more than three times the population of the States lacks access to any clean water at all . The concept of a water-saving shower is by no means a new one , but when CNN 's Blueprint team caught up with Mahdjoubi at his offices in Malmo , southern Sweden , he explained that because it does n't compromise on comfort , it 's different to the rest . It has a higher than average water pressure and a very stable flow because , unlike conventional showers , it works independently from other appliances . This year , his showers were installed for the first time in Ribersborgs Kallbadhus , a coastal bathing house in Sweden . During the summer months more than 1000 bathers come and swim waters rich with plankton , algae and seaweed , before showering off . `` It 's not just an exotic environment for application but it 's an extreme field test because the showers are on pretty much constantly , for about 10 hours per day ... and the feedback has been good . '' At the bathing house , CNN introduced Mahdjoubi to Danish industrial designer Nille Juul- SÃ¸rensen , who recently designed Malmo 's Triangeln train station . Juul- SÃ¸rensen was keen to talk about the wider potential of Mahdjoubi 's design : `` My interest is not in the objects but in the system . There will be so many applications for this . '' If deployed on a bigger scale , the purification technology developed for OrbSys could be used in taps and drinking fountains in the world 's developing countries , where water-related illness is rife . `` Everybody should save as many resources as possible , '' says Mahdjoubi , `` but obviously these showers would be even more beneficial for people living in areas with water shortages . `` I want to get it to as many people as possible . That 's the next step . It 's not just about saving water . The motivation is to be smart about how we use our planet 's resources . ''
Swedish designer Mehrdad Mahdjoubi has developed a shower that recycles water . OrbSys ##tem saves more than 90 % water and 10 % energy while you wash . It can save users over $ 1000 a year and help people living in areas with a shortage of water .