I've been at IFA the last few days, a consumer electronics tradeshow and Germany's answer to CES. This year, the show that brought you colour on two TV channels simultaneously and the N64, celebrated its 100th birthday.
While you'll admittedly see a landfill worth of e-waste generating questionable tech that no one needs, and arguably more Korean and Chinese startups than European, I'm always on the lookout for hardware designed with sustainability or social impact in mind.
Here are some products by European startups and scaleups that caught my attention this year:
Grovero (Netherlands)
Image: Grovero microfarm.
Grovero develops microfarms for sustainable indoor farming.
The farms use 90 percent less water than traditional farming methods thanks to their hydroponic technology, which eliminates herbicides and pesticides, prevents chemical runoff, fosters healthier ecosystems, and reduces environmental pollution.
A corresponding app offers real-time insights into the growth progress of your plants to optimise plant health and yield.
The company aims to establish and support a growing network of urban farmers worldwide, empowering communities to cultivate their own microgreens and become more self-sufficient.
The farms will be available for pre-order at the end of September for €1799 — it's a costly purchase for home use, but I can imagine this being popular in restaurants and bars.
Lili for Life (France)
their mission is to promote the inclusion of people with dyslexia by providing them with innovative and easy-to-use technological solutions
Spun out of a discovery made by physicists Albert Le Floch and Guy Ropars at the University of Rennes, the company develops the Lili lamp which projects a specific luminous flux that allows dyslexic people to erase the mirror or superimposed image for more fluid reading.
Lili emits flashes of light, imperceptible to the naked eye, which make the perception of writing more precise for many dyslexics. In the long term, the light beams help them memorise more words, leading to reading and spelling progress.
Lili does not cure dyslexia. It is an assistive technology that reduces fatigue and makes reading easier.
The lamp is available for €299.
AI Coustics (Germany)
Berlin-based startup AI Coustics combats poor speech quality and intelligibility in audio communication and content creation, transforming any speech signal to recording studio quality in real-time.
The company offers its Generative AI algorithms as an SDK and API to B2B partners for a wide range of audio hardware and software products, such as TVs, soundbars, headphones, microphones, hearing aids, audio/video chat software, car audio infotainment, media platforms or text-to-speech systems.
The company aims to surpass noise suppression, restoring lost signal and frequency content: a cheap headset can sound like a professional microphone in a recording studio.
XeelTech (Austria)
XeelTech is a technology company specialising in haptic technologies and adaptive damping solutions.
A wholly owned subsidiary of STIWA Group, XeelTech's flagship product line, HAPTICORE, features advanced haptic feedback actuators designed to enhance user interface experiences.
This technology provides programmable haptic feedback for mechanical input devices like rotary knobs and dials.
The HAPTICORE system allows users to experience various haptic patterns, making interactions intuitive and engaging.
gomi (UK)
gomi is an award-winning Brighton-based sustainable design studio committed to using waste as a resource to transform into beautiful and functional design objects.
Originally creating small runs of sustainable portable speakers and tech accessories made from plastic waste via successful, oversubscribed Kickstarter campaigns. In 2022 gomi developed and launched and earth-friendly wireless speaker — collection one — made from plastic bags, and powered by 100 per cent second-life e-bike batteries.
The company has also developed a power bank that charges up to 2 devices at the same time. It is made from recycled plastics and powered by repurposed e-bike batteries. It has over 50 per cent fewer CO2 emissions than comparable power banks.
Further, gomi offers trade-in, repair and product upgrading facilities, and fully recycle all components at their end-of-life into their latest generation products.
family.cards (Germany)
family.cards has developed a hardware product that bridges the digital divide for seniors who struggle with modern technology.
The company has developed a device that transforms any standard television into an interactive communication hub. A physical card represents each function; seniors simply place the card on a reader connected to the TV to activate the feature.
This design eliminates the frustration of navigating menus or touchscreens. Key features include video calling, sharing photos and videos, listening to music and audiobooks, age-specific exercises, and telemedicine services, all through an easy-to-use card system.
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