Trees capture fog, so why can’t trees? Fog catchers collect the water from fog which is very helpful in droughts. via baynature
Fog is most frequent during the height of the summer dry season in California, adding much needed moisture to coastal ecosystems. In such environments, wind can drive an upwelling of cold water on the ocean surface, creating a temperature gradient that cools the moist air above. Water vapor then condenses into droplets in the air, and this is where the fog collectors do their part. Each one is about one-square meter in surface area and includes a fine mesh net made of plastic fiber. The net intercepts the fog as it passes through and captures its suspended water droplets, which slowly dribble into a steel trough below, collecting the water for future use.
In a way, the mesh is an example of biomimicry: its fibers coalesce and channel the water similar to the way the surface and ridges of a leaf naturally collects dew along its stem. The fog collectors have also been compared to the dew collectors in the drought-afflicted world conceived in Frank Herbert’s 50-year-old novel, Dune.
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
