6th Term
Fall 2018
Sustanable Electronics
14 Week time frame
Value Proposition
Atom is a personal computing ecosystem
that eliminates the need for processing upgrades, while enhancing flexibility.
Current Ecosystem
Due to the fast advancement of technology, users usually buy a new computer every 2,5 years, which results in an absurd amount of valueless electronic waste being created in a short period of time.
Desktops
Are popular for their modularity, the user can change single components depending on their need.
Mission Prompt
How might we make personal computers less environmentally impactful without losing its portability and ease of use?
LifeCycle Analysis
This LifeCycle Analysis will study the environmental e social impacts of a 2006 Apple Powerbook G4. Which will include: the laptop and packaging. And will not include: the charger, headphones or any other accessory that shipped with it at the time.
Research
Functional Unit:
Lifetime
Impact
=
Design Criteria
Extend Lifetime
Diminishes the impact per time of the computer, the longer a product lives the less of it would have be manufactured.
Rethink Material
Changing the material types used in production can drastically reduce the environmental impacts during those processes.
Improve Recycling
Designing for disassembly both for an ease of maintenance and ease of recycling.
Keep it Portable
It is a Laptop after-all, the redesign has to have the same portability of a normal personal computer.
Introducing
The New Ecosystem
Outsourcing the performance enables the system to keep up to date for an unlimited amount of time, the physical hardware is just a vessel for its cloud power.
Cloud Computing
Latency isn't a problem
Wireless networks are approaching
the 5G era, where download speeds
are up to 20 times faster. Expected
to replace household cable Wifi
the 5G system will be the root of
the Internet in the next century
How the system works
This simple unit is composed of a
keyboard and trackpad unit that
works together with a screen, those
two can be magnetically attached
for easier transport.
Laptop Peripheral
Larger screens can be attached
to the system, working alongside
other peripherals on the same
virtual environment.
Bigger Screens
A person
for scale
LifeCycle Analysis
This LifeCycle Analysis will study the environmental e social impacts of the Atom ecosystem. Which will include: the phone, 15 inch screen, keyboard, 24 inch screen and packaging. And will not include: Charger, or other peripherals.
Lifetime
New Evaluation
Impact
Functional Unit:
=
VS
An average computer is replaced
after 2.5 years of use due to
hardware upgrades. While an Atom
system does not have that problem.
25 Years in Computers
