Water at the heart of new technological innovations

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Water covers 3/4 of our planet. It makes up 65% of the human body and is essential for our survival. Yet we are very unequal with her. In some parts of the world, drought is a daily problem. In the sporting activity, some dehydrate much more quickly. Faced with these unequal and to be able to change things, innovation is at the service of water. Illustration through five very different examples.

A wearable to measure our hydration

For the needs of our body, we should drink every day between 1.5 and 2 liters of water. Yet how many of us really do it? The University of North Carolina has developed a small wearable to remind us to hydrate on a regular basis. It is able to translate the electrical state of our skin into moisture levels through electrodes. If it detects that you are dehydrated, the application installed on your smartphone warns you. The little extra, it is able to make the difference between the water and the natural moisture of your skin. So you can take it to the shower or the pool safely.

At present, it is still a prototype and no date of commercialization is yet planned. It would be surprising, however, if it is not marketed sooner or later. Beyond its obvious interest in health, its potential market is immense. There are athletes who want to be sure of recovering well, the elderly for whom it can be a question of life or death.

The Fisher Cloud to get water in the desert

Cloud Fisher is a technology mainly used in developing countries to collect moisture from fog. Imagined by the German company Aquanopolis, it can collect up to 36,000 liters of water a day, depending on the surface but also the location where it is located. For the moment, they have mainly been installed in Africa but projects are underway in South America.

Its main advantages are the ease of installation, a relatively low cost and especially that the water that comes out is drinkable and conducive to all uses. TheThe drops of water are trapped by the canvas and then slide to cans where the water is collected. The importance of the location chosen for the installation is really crucial. The "yield" can vary from simple to triple.

Ooho! the edible water bubble

This is the product that is buzzing right now and could well mean the end of plastic water bottles. London designers have devised biodegradable and edible bubbles to store water. Ooho! are made from seaweed, are flexible and can hold up to 250 milliliters. They use the process of "gelling" that turns liquids into gels. And there is nothing to do to drink! Just swallow the little bubble by making a little hole. Already tested for several months in the streets of London, the project is now in the funding stage. They hoped to collect 400,000 books on the CrowdCube platformBut the funds available are now almost double.

It remains to be seen now by how long this product will actually arrive on the market. The company hopes to be able to market it by next year in events such as festivals or marathons. Beyond the neat visual, it is a real crucial issue from an environmental point of view. Every year 89 billion bottles of water are manufactured on the planet and only 20% are recycled!

CityTaps, the smart water meter

Do not worry, we will not talk about Linky counters that cause so much controversy. The water meter of the French start-up CityTaps is not intended for western countries. Rather, it targets developing countries where infrastructure is generally less developed. After receiving a $ 500,000 prize as part of the Verizon Powerful Answer Award, the company now plans to expand massively internationally. The announced goal is 1.8 million water meters per year! It must be said that it answers a simple problem: the last kilometer. For water providers, getting the network to the poorest people can be complicated because they are afraid it will not be profitable. With Citytaps, the consumer pays his water consumption at the beginning of the month by choosing if he wants 2, 5 or 10 cubic meters of water. Thus, the provider does not need to advance the funds and the payment made by mobile is simplified for all.

For the company, it is also a citizen act. The idea is to enable these populations to have access to water in a sustainable way, not only through international aid in case of crisis, to help them get out of the cycle of dependence.  "Access to water at health home changes everything. Those who do not benefit from it suffer a triple punishment: in time (because they have to walk long to go to the fountains), in money (because water is up to 15 times more expensive in this case) and in health (l clean water is contaminated again during transport) " says Grégoire Landel the company's CEO.

To discover the best innovations, the top of smart health connected objects, these new trends that will change our relationship to the world, go to our dedicated section!

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