Low-tech innovations can help ameliorate some of the downsides of high-tech devices by offering simple but intelligent design approaches while using materials of natural origin or those that are easy to produce, reuse and dispose of. On the left you can see a look inside the planned museum pavilion on the campus of the Technical University of Berlin. The innovative circular building concept features a complex reclaimed wood framework made from reused waste materials and reversible lattice beams.[1] In the center you can see the fog collectors from Life Nieblas and on the right the anti-PFAS pellets from Oxyle.
The steep rise of artificial intelligence applications and the ever-progressing miniaturization trend in chip-manufacturing make you think of a linear development: The future seems completely digitized. But there are downsides to the increasingly heavy reliance on sensors, LLMs and smart devices. Some can be counterbalanced by intelligently designed low-tech solutions.
<span class="firstcharacter">T</span>he »Internet of Things« (IoT) in combination with AI applications has brought forth tremendously important innovations, e.g. in the field of Ambient Assisted Living and Smart Homes, Smart Cities, Industry 4.0 or environmental monitoring. Through a network of sensors which provide important data we manage to improve our decision-making processes, enhance efficiency, safety, user experiences and a plethora of other key aspects in our everyday lives. For a lot of people in the Western hemisphere our lives seem impossible to imagine without high-tech gadgets or their indirect benefits.
On the other hand, we encounter quite a few downsides such as security risks associated with internet-connected devices or privacy concerns over how the collected data is shared and stored. IoT and other high-tech systems also become more and more complex which opens the doors to malfunctions and compatibility issues. Environmental aspects such as the rapid increase in energy consumption[2, 3, 4] and heat production are of growing concern as well as the rise in electronic waste (e-waste) which is often difficult to recycle.
Low-tech solutions can help with some of these problems by creating intelligent design approaches to reduce production costs and supply-chain complexity, using specifically-tailored materials. That way it is possible to create similar or complementary effects to electrically powered sensor- or high-tech-systems and focus on circular economy mindsets to reduce (production) waste.
Fog collectors and water cocoons support reforestation
In the Canary Islands and Portugal the EU-backed project »Life Nieblas« (»nieblas« is the Spanish word for fog) set out to combat deforestation and water scarcity through fog collectors and so-called »cocoons«.[5]
The fog collectors are made of simple mesh structures to capture moisture from the air, collecting water droplets in containers that can then be used for reforestation efforts in arid regions where groundwater is scarce. Unlike complex irrigation systems, fog collectors rely solely on natural wind and humidity conditions, requiring no electricity or advanced machinery. In the Canary Islands the team is trying to regrow the traditional laurel trees which also rely on fog water collection to grow. The low-tech devices help collect water until the tree saplings have matured enough to do it themselves.
The project’s second device consists of »cocoons« made of recycled, biodegradable cardboard which was originally developed by the Dutch company Land Life. The cocoon is being used in the Canary Islands and Portugal in combination with fog collectors – but also without them in other Mediterranean countries where fog collection is not as viable an option.
They are buried in the ground, underneath the collectors and then manually filled with up to 25 litres of water. Thereafter the fog collectors or rainfall will provide the necessary hydration for the seedlings to grow, at least in the first most critical year.
Due to their design, they also offer protection from small herbivores and increase the survival rate of the saplings by 20% compared to conventional reforestation methods.
The technique reduces the need for complex irrigation systems or energy-intensive methods. Instead if offers an traditional, nature-based as well as affordable, efficient, and environmentally friendly solution for enhancing tree survival.
The Swiss startup Oxyle has tackled the challenge of removing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), also called »forever chemicals« used in millions of different products from waterproof clothing over non-stick cookware to firefighting foam. These chemicals are characterized by a strong carbon-fluorine bond, making them highly resistant to heat, water, and oil. PFAS are often referred to as »forever chemicals« because they do not break down easily in the environment or the human body, leading to long-lasting contamination in water, soil and air, and are linked to a variety of health issues.[6]
Oxyle's breakthrough is a nano-catalyst that efficiently breaks down PFAS in water.[7] The black pellets, which look like small pieces of liquorice, can turn these harmful substances into harmless byproducts such as fluoride and sulfate ions, as well as carbon dioxide (<span style="color: #a37f07;">You can see them in the keyvisual of this article</span>). The combination of the contaminated water which has to be in motion and the pellets themselves is enough to trigger the reaction.
The method is not only more effective but also 15 times more energy-efficient and much cheaper than traditional approaches.
Such methods, like incineration, require either expensive and energy-intensive processes or they produce highly toxic byproducts, e.g. if a filtration system is used. With the help of a new analysis device developed at ETH Zürich (Federal Institute of Technology Zurich) Oxyle is able to monitor the progress of the PFAS cleanup process almost in real-time.
The company’s catalytic system is already in use at a Swiss chemical park, where it cleans up groundwater contaminated by PFAS from firefighting foam. Their recent full-scale installation is capable of processing up to ten cubic meters (10.000 l) of contaminated water per hour, with scalability to much larger volumes. While their product highlights a milestone in low-tech innovation it is also a stark reminder of how dangerous these chemicals are. Ultimately, the goal has to be to find alternative products which do not harm the environment or our bodies.
Intelligent designs and organic materials make building construction more sustainable
The benefits of low-tech solutions are also being researched in the construction sector. Together with different partners and architectural studios researchers at the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin) are studying ways to make buildings more sustainable. The interdisciplinary team at the Natural Building Lab focuses on intelligent designs, layouts and traditionally used natural materials to create rooms and buildings which include far less technology. That way they are able to naturally achieve better levels of air quality and humidity while reducing the carbon footprint, energy consumption and noise levels.[8]
One example is the application of loam plaster to cover inside walls. The natural material is far better at regulating air humidity than traditional (cement) plaster since it contains clay minerals which have a large surface and bind wet air molecules better. This way they regulate a room’s humidity much more effectively. The researchers also designed buildings whose bathrooms are situated right at the outer walls and not within an enclosed interior space without any windows, as is often the case in larger buildings.
The design enables residents to use direct ventilation instead of relying on power-consuming electric ventilation systems.
Additionally, hemp and straw as easily regrowable resources are being considered to replace now-used insulation materials and even wood.
One of the key benefits of using such low-tech methods is the production of far less waste. In Germany 55% of all waste stems from demolition and construction leftovers. Moreover, the biggest extraction and consumption of resources takes place in construction. By purposefully creating modern, intelligent and modular building designs (e.g. based on half-timbered construction), the application of often non-reusable materials such as concrete can be reduced to a minimum. In addition to the reutilization of a building’s components or its organic materials such as wood or loam, we will need to focus on making better use of older, unoccupied buildings instead of tearing them down.
Unfortunately, the increased use of high-tech solutions in buildings does not lead to an increase in efficiency. Highly technologized buildings can result in very complex systems that sometimes become unmanageable, have too many redundancies, and a negative impact on the indoor climate. People do not adhere to the building control systems, and there are simply not enough caretakers, technicians, and engineers available to operate the buildings correctly. Intelligent low-tech approaches with a focus on sustainability can counterbalance some of these negative effects.[8]
Use case: Seaweed
Another great discovery which I made a while ago was the repurposing of seaweed around the Baltic and North Sea.
The naturally occurring product usually washes ashore and is left to rot or just disposed of, creating an unpleasant, putrid smell. Several smaller initiatives and companies[9, 10] have started transforming it into an insulation material since provides excellent thermal properties, is resistant to mold and pests, offers high ecological value and is fire-resistant.[11]
Another purpose for those sea leftovers is their use as fertilizer. Together with algae seaweed gets stored and composted. It thus be turned into a product that is easier to produce and potentially even more effective than chemically produced industrial fertilizers.[11, 12]
<span class="headingcolor" style="display: block; text-align: center;">Thanks for your attention!</span>
Let me know what you think