Researchers show that discarded phones can still incorporate modern computer use in cheap clusters
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Every year more than a billion smartphones are produced worldwide, and most are thrown away within a few years, often still in working condition – and with limited recycling and rising demand, the environment continues to grow.
A group of researchers at the University of Tartu In Estonia, testing or retired smartphones wanted to be able to serve a second goal outside the landfill or recycling BIN, and can turn them into small, local data centers.
Huber Flores, university teacher Pervasief Computer Use, said about the idea behind the project: “Innovation often does not start with something new, but with a new way of thinking about the old one, who again proposes his role in shaping the future.”
A cheap solution for e-waste
Flores and his colleagues started removing the lithium ion batteries from the phones to lower the risk of chemical leaks. Power was delivered externally instead.
Subsequently, four telephones were mounted on each other using 3D-printed holders, which formed a working prototype. Each phone costs around 8 euros to use again in a part of a data center.
The test model was implemented in several environments. Under water it helped with Marien Research by processing video images directly on site to count species in the sea. Normally a diver should register the data and bring it to the surface for analysis. The recycled telephones have automatically treated everything.
In another scenario, researchers suggested that these telephone -based systems could be placed in urban locations such as bus stops. There they could count passengers in real time, which improves the public transport network by means of local data collection and processing.
With Global E-Waste Growing Fast, the project offers a cheap way to give old electronics new life. It shows that telephones do not have to be replaced or thrown every two years if they are.
Ulrich Norbisrath, Association Lecter Software -Engineering, summarized the team’s position and said: “Sustainability is not just about maintaining the future, it is about resetting the present, where yesterday’s devices become the opportunities of tomorrow.”
Although the project is framed around the idea of micro data centers, the examples such as following underwater species and counting passengers are closer to IoT applications. Nevertheless, the concept shows that with a shift in perspective, even outdated consumer technology, meaningful new roles can play in local data processing.
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