Modular phone recycling ideas unveiled
Wednesday, February 11, 2015 - 09:43:54
Modular phones are set to be a big deal in 2015, with Google’s Project Ara sitting alongside smaller initiatives, including the PuzzlePhone from Circular Devices. And the unifying idea behind these devices is to reduce waste and improve the lifespan of smartphones by making the components easily upgradable.
The question about what to do with the old modules that are being removed is one that needs to be answered, if modular phones are to be seen as truly sustainable. And Recombu reports that Circular Devices has a particularly ingenious idea to tackle this.
Rather than reselling old phone modules or scrapping them entirely, Circular Devices has come up with the PuzzleCluster, a kind of super computer that will become more powerful as it is enhanced, with unwanted components pulled from modular phones.
At the moment, this is merely a concept design, but the plans are ambitious. The PuzzleCluster could house a total of five processing modules, which would work together to give it an impressive amount of combined power.
So while smartphones may not be quite as powerful as modern desktop PCs, with modular mobiles these two worlds could combine and make things much more convenient for the user.
What is yet unclear is whether consumers will be that interested in modular phones. And the success of the PuzzleCluster as a concept is dependent on Circular Devices finding a market for its handsets.
The benefits, including more customisation and flexibility for consumers, are certainly noteworthy. And if mobile phone recycling is made easier to achieve, whether through home-assembled PCs based on old mobile parts or the more traditional method of selling your old phone online, then companies and consumers alike will be incentivised to adopt this type of device in earnest over the coming years.
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