Water: Q&A with Philipp Ronnenberg

Part thought experiment, part engineering challenge, Dryver is a collaboration between Philipp Ronnenberg, whose background is in design and computer science, and architect Ulrike Mallien. Their vision imagines multiple robots moving autonomously across cities delivering water to its inhabitants. By using condensation techniques, Dryver gathers water from the air and delivers it free of charge, ridding us from the need for so much plastic.

A graduate of the RCA’s esteemed Design Interactions programme, Philipp’s interests are in democratising technology, open-source phenomena, making-hacking culture and digital protest. His practice centres on researching and prototyping concepts for future interactive systems, applications and products, often in alternative realities or on the intersection between reality and speculation. Setting up his own studio – Ronnenberg Creative Technology – last year, Philipp’s brain-boggling inventions have included The Drone Aviary (which you might have seen at LDF 2015) and a GPS-like navigational system that doesn't rely on Government-owned satellites.

Ahead of Water, which opens at the Copeland Gallery on 19 September, we asked Philipp for an introduction to his water-distributing creation.

We transport water in bottles from one country to another with huge environmental costs while having more than enough drinking water resources in our own country. In cities, we are only a few metres away from tap water, but as there aren’t many public water fountains in the cities here in Northern Europe, we buy water bottles ‘to go’. We wanted to think about how fresh drinking water could be provided on the go in the city centre as an alternative to buying water bottles.

Condensation is the process by which water vapour in the air is changed into liquid. It is crucial to the water cycle because it is responsible for the formation of clouds. These clouds may produce precipitation, which is the primary route for water to return to the Earth's surface within the water cycle. You don't have to look at something as far away as a cloud to notice condensation, though. Condensation is responsible for ground-level fog, for your glasses fogging up when you go from a cold room to the outdoors on a hot, humid day, for the water that drips off the outside of your glass of iced tea, and for the water on the inside of the windows in your home on a cold day.

Dryver is a moving cloud that will interact with people by talking to them. Clouds are autonomous and not owned by anyone. They come and go, providing rain to everyone, everywhere.

With Dryver you have to bring your own glass or refill bottle (or just use your hands) to get a refreshment. No bottle will need to be recycled or thrown away, leaving no environmental footprint.

The water is not free, but you are not paying with money. You pay the robot by giving him new energy by rotating the crank. It’s a sustaining cycle of giving and receiving.