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WeAreDevelopers LIVE • Apr 18, 2023

IoT: The road to sustainability

Philipp-Alexander Blum

Is planned obsolescence destroying the Internet of Things? Discover how developers can eliminate e-waste using open-source hardware and the W3C Web of Things standard.

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#1 about 4 min

Impact of unsustainable hardware on end users and industry

Real world examples demonstrate the consequences of abandoning support for older hardware and actively preventing right to repair.

#2 about 4 min

Adopting open source hardware to promote device repairability

Engineers must take responsibility by supporting right to repair policies and leveraging open source circuit designs to extend product lifespan.

#3 about 4 min

Using the web of things standard for device interoperability

Connecting constrained devices through standard web protocols bridges existing communication gaps in the internet of things ecosystem.

#4 about 6 min

Defining device capabilities with the web of things description

Abstracting hardware into digital twins via standardized JSON descriptions enables future-proof integration with legacy and constrained devices.

#5 about 6 min

Demonstrating device interaction using standardized api implementations

A node.js and typescript application queries device descriptions to run a bandwidth test and display results on an external screen.

#6 about 9 min

Transitioning from web development to constrained hardware engineering

Bringing familiar web development workflows to internet of things environments improves efficiency compared to traditional embedded toolchains.

#7 about 6 min

Persuading product leadership to prioritize hardware sustainability metrics

Framing repairability as a marketing advantage and highlighting long-term cost benefits helps shift organizational mindsets toward greener engineering practices.

#8 about 9 min

Navigating legacy systems and unconventional software testing practices

Implementing live platform tests on banking infrastructure reveals the persistence of outdated practices and undocumented technical debt.

#9 about 4 min

Exploring microcontrollers and communication protocols for amateur hardware

Utilizing affordable microcontrollers with built-in networking enables sophisticated personal projects by running complex communication stacks directly on wearable devices.

#10 about 2 min

Contributing to open standards and open source operations

Focusing on widespread adoption of universal specifications requires contributing standardized platform integrations into open source operating systems.

#11 about 5 min

Predicting technological convergence across edge devices and artificial intelligence

Combining autonomous internet of things networks with artificial intelligence sets up a future of advanced automation and decentralized finance.

#12 about 4 min

Evaluating the environmental impact of blockchain consensus algorithms

The severe computational waste generated by proof of work calculations necessitates a shift to more sustainable ledger technologies.

#13 about 2 min

Developing specialized hardware kits for web of things integration

Building an accessible hardware development platform encourages mainstream adoption of normalized internet of things protocols.

Matching moments

4:17 min

Complexities of hardware prototyping and compliance in IoT

Pawel Skiba Pawel Skiba · World Congress 2024

2:06 min

Mitigating the unreliability of connected hardware endpoints

Tom George · LIVE

7:04 min

Questions on protocol performance, security, and industrial adoption

Richard Bieck · LIVE

3:11 min

Summarizing key takeaways for scaling hardware prototypes rapidly

Developersteve · LIVE

1:57 min

Connecting web performance optimization to ecological sustainability

Andreas Taranetz Andreas Taranetz · World Congress 2024

5:59 min

Examining connectivity concerns in modern consumer hardware ecosystems

Chris Heilmann +2 · LIVE

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Upcoming sessions on this topic

Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

September 25, 2026 · 15:30–15:40

Outdoor Stage

Offloading IoT State: Solving the Memory Crisis on Legacy Hardware

Pravin Nagare

Senior Software Engineer, Roku

Pravin Nagare
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

September 24, 2026 · 16:50–17:20

Stage 4

From Software Agents to Physical Devices: Inside the Agentic Hardware Stack

Michael Yuan, Vivian Hu

Michael Yuan
Vivian Hu
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

September 24, 2026 · 16:10–16:40

Outdoor Stage

When Humans Stop Writing Code: Rethinking Languages, Compilers, and Responsibility

Simon Auer

Organizer of flutter vienna meetup and CEO of marqably

Simon Auer
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

September 24, 2026 · 12:15–12:45

Stage 6

AI vs. AI: Defending the open source supply chain with agentic workflows

Manfred Moser

Senior Principal DevRel Engineer at Chainguard

Manfred Moser
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

September 24, 2026 · 14:50–15:20

Stage 1

The Era of Machine-Driven Defense is Here: Headless Security

Loris Degioanni

Founder & CTO of Sysdig

Loris Degioanni
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

September 25, 2026 · 14:10–14:40

Stage 1

The Broken Rung: How AI is Rebuilding Software Development from the Ground Up

Tomislav Tipurić

Chief Technology Officer, Nephos

Tomislav Tipurić

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