Battery used Battery charging

LOW←TECH MAGAZINE

This is a solar-powered website, which means it sometimes goes offline Power

Obsolete Technology

There is a lot of potential in past and often forgotten knowledge and technologies when it comes to designing a sustainable society.

A Steam Powered Submarine: The Ictíneo

Narcís Monturiol successfully resolved the two basic obstacles presented to submarine inventors: air supply and mechanical power.

The Citroen 2CV: Cleantech from the 1940s

In spite of all the high-tech that has been squeezed into cars, the 2CV from 1949 is still more energy efficient than the smallest Citroen today.

Life Without Airplanes: from London to New York in 3 Days and 12 Hours

If we would stuff people in the ‘Queen Mary 2’ like we fold passengers into airplane seats, the ship could transport more than 500,000 people

Mechanical Calculators: Computing Without Electricity

Fast and complicated calculations are a product of fossil fuels.

The Pinhole Camera: Low-tech Photography

Build a pinhole camera, turn your bedroom into a camera obscura, and rediscover photography.

Life Before Television

Turn off your flat screen television and get lost in 17th, 18th and 19th century optical entertainment.

A World Without Trucks: Underground Freight Networks

If water, sewage, gas and oil can be transported through underground pipelines, why not consumer goods as well?

Satellite Navigation in the 18th Century

More than two centuries ago, it was possible to very accurately pinpoint your position on earth by means of ‘satellites’.

Email in the 18th Century: The Optical Telegraph

More than 200 years ago it was already possible to send messages throughout Europe and America at the speed of an aeroplane – wireless and without need for electricity.