1. 1 Securing the land
  2. 2 Licensing
  3. 3 21-day build
  4. 4 Open retreat

Acquisition stage: actively reviewing land and rural property opportunities near Porto, Braga, and the wider North Portugal corridor.

Lusitano Retreat North Portugal
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Tech Lab — Ideas in Progress

Small Electronics, Living Retreat

Four open, low-cost devices — designed with AI, built from off-the-shelf maker parts — that let the retreat watch its own water, energy and fish, and turn guest effort into a shared daily goal. This is our idea bench: what each device does, why it matters here, and how it works.

  • AI-Designed
  • ESP32 + Solar
  • No Subscriptions
  • Open Docs

Why a tech lab on an eco-retreat?

Off-grid means knowing your numbers

Without mains water or grid power, the retreat depends on what it collects, generates and grows. These small devices are the nervous system: they watch tank levels, water quality and energy flow — quietly, locally, with no cloud fees — and turn that data into moments guests can see and celebrate.

The four devices

What we are designing

AI render of a solar-powered monitoring unit mounted on a 1000-litre IBC rainwater tank

Designed — ready to build

Cistern Level Monitor

The rainwater tank that tells you how it feels

SolarDrinking-water safeWiFi dashboard
What it is
A solar-powered sensor box that sits on top of a rainwater cistern and reads the water level and temperature — without ever touching the drinking water.
Why Lusitano needs it
Water is the first layer of the retreat. A dry tank can ruin a guest's stay and damage pumps; an overflowing one wastes precious harvest. The monitor protects the investment and feeds the site dashboard.
How it works
  1. An ultrasonic sensor fires a pulse down at the water surface and computes the level as a percentage.
  2. An OLED screen on the tank shows level and temperature; buzzers warn on low level or overflow.
  3. Any phone on the local network can open the live dashboard — no app, no cloud, no fees.

Target build cost: ~€65 per tank

A pedal-powered rig on the land — the power-meter device render is still in progress

Designed — ready to build

Pedal Power Meter

Your legs, measured in watt-hours

GamifiedLeaderboardCharges 12V battery
What it is
A meter for the bicycle generator: it measures volts, amps and accumulated watt-hours, and shows the rider's energy on a big bright display.
Why Lusitano needs it
It turns exercise into a story. Guests and volunteers see exactly how much energy ten minutes of pedalling makes — the most honest off-grid lesson there is, and a natural moment to film and share.
How it works
  1. A precision current sensor measures the generator output as you pedal.
  2. A large LED panel shows live watts, total watt-hours and progress toward a daily target.
  3. When the target is hit, an LED ring and chime celebrate — and the score joins the leaderboard.

Target build cost: ~€110

AI render of a splash-proof aquaponics controller box with display and probe glands

Designed — ready to build

Aquaponics Guardian

A night-and-day watchman for the fish

pH + EC + tempPump controlFish-safe alerts
What it is
A splash-proof controller that continuously checks the aquaponics water — pH, conductivity, temperature, level — and drives the circulation and air pumps.
Why Lusitano needs it
In aquaponics the fish are the most fragile link: a pH drift or a stuck pump can wipe out the system overnight. The guardian watches when nobody is around and calls a phone before it becomes a crisis.
How it works
  1. Probes read pH, EC/TDS and temperature; an ultrasonic sensor watches the water level without touching it.
  2. Relays switch the circulation and air pumps; an OLED shows live readings at the tank.
  3. If values drift out of the safe range for fish, a buzzer, warning light and phone notification fire.

Target build cost: ~€100

AI render of a wooden totem with solar roof and e-paper display showing retreat metrics

Concept approved — built after the land is secured

The Living Dashboard Totem

The village pulse, carved in wood and light

E-paperCommunity goalSolar + battery
What it is
A weatherproof wooden totem in the village centre with a sunlight-readable e-paper screen showing the live pulse of the retreat: rainwater collected, watt-hours pedalled, fish water status, sauna temperature — and a shared community goal for the day.
Why Lusitano needs it
It ties every system into one story guests can stand in front of. When the community goal is reached, the totem celebrates with light and a chime — effort becomes visible, shared and worth filming.
How it works
  1. The three field devices send their readings by radio to the totem's hub — no router needed.
  2. A large e-paper display stays readable in full sun while sipping almost no power.
  3. A solar panel and battery keep it alive year-round; a hidden LED strip animates when goals are met.

Target build cost: ~€300 (value-engineered)

How these designs are made

AI-drafted, human-built

Each device starts as a written brief and becomes a complete build package in minutes — schematic, bill of materials with live part links, 3D-printable mounts and step-by-step assembly guide. We then value-engineer it for the retreat: cheaper parts, local sourcing, salvage where possible.

  1. 1 Describe the device in plain language — what it should watch, show and switch.
  2. 2 AI drafts the architecture: parts list, wiring diagram, enclosure and assembly steps.
  3. 3 We refine for off-grid reality: solar power, deep sleep, weatherproofing, no subscriptions.
  4. 4 Parts are ordered off-the-shelf; the build itself is a workshop anyone can join.

An honest note

Designs today, devices tomorrow

These four are designed and costed, not yet wired together — the build is staged with the land milestones, and the totem only rises once the ground under it is ours. We publish the journey either way: the failures will be at least as instructive as the wins.

Lusitano Retreat

Want to see the first one come alive?

Join the waitlist and follow the build — or come solder, code and plant it with us during the 21-day sprint.

Join the Waitlist See the Open Blueprint