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Trees to Hide Tech

Stealthy Wireless Equipment Disguises Preserve Community Decorum

— January 7, 2009 — Eco
Fake tree installations to camouflage wireless communication and Wi-Fi towers are preferred by many communities. Some of the solutions are elegant and some are downright pathetic.

Logging is big business where I’m from. The law says that a strip of trees has to be left near roads that transverse logging areas. The loggers refer to them as “idiot strips,” since they are a sort of trompe l’oeil for the ignorant. It seems the general concept of fooling the eye of the uninformed is universal.

Most of the camouflage shown in the gallery above consists of big plastic-coated towers with fake branches attached to them. Some are more realistic than others. Some appear to have contracted plastic tree diseases, but they all seem a bit lacking when compared to the real thing.

It reminds me of the Forest Service’s attempts to hide the fact that Mt. St. Helen’s had erupted by painting the freshly exploded rocks on the roadsides to look ‘old.’

Go figure.

Some of the camouflage in the video above is more convincing; some, is downright elaborate, even attractive. I’m not sure what I think of all the effort being expended to keep things from looking like what they are, but it sure is interesting!

Photo Credit:1-6|7-10
Trend Themes
1. Fake Tree Installations - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop more realistic and visually appealing fake tree installations to effectively camouflage wireless communication and Wi-Fi towers.
2. Camouflage Technology - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore advanced camouflage technology to create seamless disguises for wireless equipment, preserving community decorum.
3. Urban Aesthetic Preservation - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Design wireless communication and Wi-Fi towers that blend seamlessly with the urban environment, maintaining an attractive urban aesthetic.
Industry Implications
1. Wireless Communication - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop innovative solutions to camouflage wireless communication equipment, catering to community preferences and preserving aesthetics.
2. Telecommunications - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create novel camouflage techniques for telecommunication infrastructure to seamlessly blend with natural surroundings without compromising functionality.
3. Urban Planning - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integrate deceptive technology and camouflage solutions into urban planning strategies to maintain community decorum while meeting connectivity needs.
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