People have always gathered under trees. VTREE SOLAR wants to adapt this habit for the technological age. Its solar-powered trees provide wi-fi and charging – and look amazing. It’s the worthy winner of the 2016 Meffy for Innovation in IoT…

You don’t have to be a squirrel to love trees. The tree is one of nature’s wonders.

This helps to explain why people react so joyously to VTREE SOLAR’s unique arboreal approach to digital connectivity.

Simply, the Bucharest-based company makes beautiful fractal trees that can provide all manner of useful digital functions.

They can:

• Provide access to internet
• Charge phones, gadgets, electric scooters, etc
• Provide night light
• Work as a meeting point
• Support beacons etc

And they do all this through solar power using photovoltaic cells, so there’s no need to dig any foundations. In fact, a VTREE can be installed inside six hours.

The company believes VTREES can become technological hubs in cities. It says people will gather underneath them. After all, people have always gathered under trees. And if they can get free wifi, all the more reason to do so.

Andrei Vaida, founder of VTREE SOLAR, says: “The tree is a great meeting point. The shape is like a combination of art and tech. And you can plug and play them in six hours. It’s kind of like lego for a solar tree!”

Vaida believes any city above 100,000 inhabitants should offer free wi-fi and that VTREEs offer an easy way to deliver it without cost or distruption. Cities could even display advertising on VTREES to achieve a return on investment.

So far, VTREE SOLAR has tested the idea with music festivals and is working on proposals from several city councils.