There are a handful of things that really need To live, and food and water make the list comfortably.
Unfortunately, our water and food sources are not always safe. Throughout the world, even in developed countries, pollution, climate change and poor management are damaging our access to clean water and food.
And to worsen things, some of the most common methods to cook and treat food and water are wasteful and bad for the planet!
Can technology help? We believe yes. In this article, we will explore three different ways in which Arduino can be used to drive food and safer water, safer in a more ecological way.
Allow intelligent irrigation to optimize the use of water in agriculture
Agriculture may seem direct from afar, but the reality is incredibly complex and challenging.
To grow crops at scale, you must deeply understand the conditions of your soil, dominate the science of crop rotation and make sure your crops have all the water they need (but not too much!) At all times.
To make this process easier and more effective, it challenges agriculture developed by Iriduum® Taking advantage of the Arduino platform.
The solution works using an Arduino edge control with the Arduino MKR GSM 1400 for connectivity and firmware, along with access to a dedicated cloud. It is based on a technique called tensiometry, which uses sensors to measure the natural voltage of water in the soil.
This allows farmers to obtain deep and detailed ideas about their soil and growth conditions. The sensors provide readings for six crop cycles of three to four months each, which represents thousands of measures that can be repeated for years.
You can obtain a better understanding of moisture, the way in which water moves inside the soil, water availability and much more. Even more impressive, irruption® It is able to react in real time to changing soil conditions to save water and maximize efficiency.
Filter microplastics to clean water
Plastic has allowed us to improve our quality of life and technology in innumerable ways, but has a cost. When the plastic degrades, it tends to break down into small pieces. Today, these plastic microscopic pieces are everywhere, in our air, food, soil and water.
According to a medium orb study, microplastics appeared in 83% of proven water samples in metropolitan areas around the world. These plastics damage the environment and have been related to health risks.
So how do we deal with this problem? A possible solution arose during the 2022 Natural Robotics Contest, where the student Eleanor Mackintosh designed a robotic fish with a built -in filter capable of absorbing microplastics in the same way that a whale is engulfed to Krill.
A prototype of this fish was built that saves planet “Gillbert”, based on the winning idea of Eleanor using an Arduino Nano 33 IoT board and some other components. It is possible that Gillbert cannot eat all the microplastic in the world, or even in the local pond. However, the tests revealed that it is able to collect enough microplastic to be analyzed by experts, which can make a big difference as we try to understand this problem and its more risks.
As this is an open source project, if you want to try your luck in your creation, you have everything you need to start!
Save energy when cooking, with an intelligent timer
Prepare meals at home is an excellent way to save money and use more sustainable ingredients, but you can also accumulate high energy invoices and increase co2 emissions if you are not careful.
To facilitate ecological cuisine, the Italian company Barilla created a pasta food timer based on Arduino technology. It works using “passive cooking”, where a device monitors the temperature of the water in its pot and emits alerts that tell you when to add the pasta and when to turn off the heat for the most efficient use of energy.
According to Barilla, this way of cooking can reduce co2 Emissions for up to 80% compared to traditional methods. The project uses an Arduino Nano 33 BLE and some basic components, and, best of all, it has been launched as an open source so that everyone can access all the information they need to start cooking more efficiently in the home.
Share your own ecological projects!
Have you made any energy saving device or project? If so, we would love to know of them. Share the details in the comments below or CAPTURE to the Arduino Project Hub, where you will find many other examples to keep it inspired.
