For nearly three decades, fog nets have been touted as a silver bullet for solving the global water crisis. From the high-altitude deserts of the Atacama in Chile to the arid regions in Morocco, fog fences are snagging passing clouds and turning mist into a lifeline for thousands.
While mainstream media hails fog nets as a “symbol of hope,” real-world use cases since the 1980s have revealed the cracks in the wall. These nets are heavy, stationary, and notoriously fragile.
In the mountainous corridors where fog is most abundant, fog nets are unable to withstand fierce winds. A single storm can turn a $3,000 investment into a pile of shredded plastic overnight.
In conditions where fog nets hold their own against the wind, they are still far from efficient. Water typically gets trapped in the tiny squares of the weave and is held hostage by surface tension till it evaporates back into the atmosphere.
Aware of the shortcomings of fog nets, wellcomb, a new venture, is keen on discarding the concept entirely, which could signal the end of the mesh era. Rather than build a better net, wellcomb is turning to biomimicry for its solution, mirroring the spiny leaves of trees that rely on fog for water.
wellcomb: Prioritizing resilience in the field
The main premise of wellcomb’s solution is the use of a comb-like structure designed to ensure its practicality in the field. Early tests indicate that thin, rigid, and evenly spaced elements are also efficient in fog harvesting in the same manner as tree leaves.
By using these precisely spaced elements, the wind is allowed to pass through the structure while the water droplets are intercepted. While longer spines can intercept more air and collect more water, there is still the risk of damage from high winds.
“wellcomb is about finding a balance between maximizing collection and maintaining a structure that is robust, durable, and easy to live with in everyday use,” said Thom Dutton, wellcomb’s founder.
While wellcomb’s “comb” structure is aerodynamically transparent, traditional fog nets that operate as sails grapple with destructive tension in their frames. If a net is damaged, repairs typically cost a small fortune and cannot be used till completed.
Aware of the risks in real-world application, wellcomb founder Thom Dutton is adopting a cautious approach, prioritizing rigour over a frenzied push. Still in development, Dutton, a London-based structural engineer, disclosed that testing has involved simple setups with everyday objects, racking impressive success levels.
“Even at this small scale, it’s been encouraging to see droplets forming and being collected in foggy conditions,” said Dutton. “That repeatability suggests the underlying idea is sound and worth taking forward into a larger prototype that can be tested over longer periods and in different locations.
Solving the “mesh loss” crisis
Apart from focusing on resilience and structural integrity, wellcomb’s testing data highlights a massive leap in collection physics. Since there is no weave to trap water, droplets are forced to coalesce and descend instantly with gravity acting as a high-speed conveyor belt.
This way, wellcomb can produce the same amount of water as a traditional net while being a fraction of the size.
On the flipside, standard fog nets record jarring figures in mesh losses. By design, droplets accumulate in the intersections of a weave and remain stagnant until they evaporate as temperatures rise over the day.
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The power of the modular swap
The most impressive aspect of the wellcomb vision is its commitment to “lived-in” technology. A closer look at its operations underscores a shift from communal dependency to individual agency.
Across the world, traditional fog harvesting is a monolithic endeavor, costing thousands of dollars to set up a basic system. If a net fails, a village loses its water. wellcomb has replaced this fragility with a modular system, with harvesters made up of individual components that can be replaced in seconds.
“The system is intentionally modular so it can start small and be expanded over time,” said Thom.
If a gust of wind or a falling rock damages a section, the system does not go dark. A single mother in a remote village can swap out a damaged spine as easily as changing a lightbulb. This democratizes the maintenance process, removing the need for specialized engineering teams and expensive, large-scale repairs.
Crowdfunding to support real-world testing
To get the project up and running, Thom is turning to crowdfunding to fund real-world experiments. At the moment, a GoFundMe has been launched to support the building of the prototype wellcomb frame, a light-weight modular steel structure to collect.
“The focus has shifted from proving the basic idea to demonstrating how it performs over time in real conditions, learning from that process, and refining the design based on what actually happens outdoors,” added Thom.
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The funds will go toward fabricating the steel frame, buying collection pipes, and installing and monitoring the structure in a fog-rich site. Apart from the GoFundMe, Thom is selling combs to directly fund experiments while clarifying that he is not opposed to traditional grants.
