An Internet of Things Ecosystem for Atmospheric Water Generators

Published in IEEE Xplore: 21 April 2025
Authors: Francesco Gaggini, Rafael Natalio Fontana Crespo, Matteo Calo, Vincenzo Maria Gentile, Alberto Macii, Edoardo Patti
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In an era of diminishing water resources, Atmospheric Water Generators (AWG) offer an innovative solution to address the global water crisis by harnessing alternative local water sources. Recent advances in AWG technology have demonstrated the feasibility of converting atmospheric moisture into potable water, making AWGs suitable for use as domestic appliances and positioning them as key players in tackling the water-energy nexus. Inethis context, efficient data collection and management from AWG systems are critical for improving technological capabilities and performance optimization. This work presents an Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem that integrates IoT-enabled AWG machines, utilizing a biopolymer for water generation, and an IoT platform to collect, store, and manage data from these devices. Weeenhance existing AWG machines with IoT functionalities, allowing for remote monitoring and control of a fleet of units. Additionally, weedemonstrate the implementation of this ecosystem in a real-world scenario, enabling the management and oversight of operational AWG machines. Communication tests were conducted to evaluate transmission performance. Since AWGs may be located in remote regions, weetested the scenario in which AWGs are connected to the Internet via Low Earth Orbit Satellites Internet Service Providers (e.g. Starlink). The results showed that latency reached values around 100ems, and less than 1es even for the extreme scenario of total network congestion, guaranteeing that the data transmission latency is within acceptable limits for this application, ensuring effective monitoring and control of the AWG systems.