Let’s kick off this blog with a post presenting the approach I will be taking throughout future projects. For each project, you will find the approach—the method for which is presented here—its carbon footprint and environmental impact, and the files you need to make it your own.

I have always been passionate about science and engineering. After completing my preparatory classes, I studied engineering at the École Centrale de Nantes, then obtained a double Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Politecnico di Torino.

I want to turn my home into a laboratory for experimenting with solutions to everyday problems and frictions. I am very interested in new technologies, but also in low-tech approaches.

Hi-tech and low-tech: opposites or complementary?

While new technologies have multiplied our communication and computing capabilities, they consume a lot of energy and precious materials (rare earths in particular), the extraction of which pollutes the soil and contaminates the environment and populations.

The low-tech approach therefore aims to offer solutions that are simple and sustainable, sometimes inspired by traditional methods. These solutions must be easy to repair, energy efficient, and manufactured locally. Examples include:

• Solar oven: an oven that uses solar energy concentrated by glass and mirrors
• Masonry heater: a slow-burning stove that retains heat for a long time
• Recycling shower: a closed or semi-closed circuit shower that reuses water after filtering and disinfection
• Desert refrigerator: two nested pots separated by a layer of moist sand, the evaporation of which removes heat Thus, while low-tech solutions can meet many needs without the use of printed circuit boards or computers, high technologies also have their advantages as long as they are used sparingly and efficiently.

Adopting an engineering approach

For each project, I will follow an approach that I will report on here:

1. Identify the problem or point of friction.
2. Find a low-tech solution or avenues for study among existing options.
3. Find a standard technological solution or avenues for study among existing options.
4. Compare the two approaches and choose. Compare theoretically based on several criteria: efficiency, simplicity, environmental footprint, sustainability, practicality
5. Theoretical study, design, and sizing
6. Carbon footprint and environmental impact Impact (positive or negative) of manufacturing the parts and during use
7. Implementation
8. Testing, measurement, and comparison with theory
9. Feedback