In pursuit of sustainable product design, Dell highlighted how it is using telemetry and robotics to speed laptop repairs by showcasing updates for its “Luna” laptop.
Some Dell laptops, for example Latitude E5270 2017, have a repairability score of 10 out of 10 from iFixit. Dell’s Concept Luna laptop, unveiled last December, aims to move forward with a design that features only four screws with minimal adhesives and solder to hold internal components in place.
The design will allow the repairer to insert a screwdriver-like tool into the side of the device to unlock the chassis and from there remove the keyboard, display, fans, battery, motherboard, and speakers by hand or a mechanical equivalent.
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The latest version of its modular laptop project sees the addition of telemetry to monitor individual components and the robot – much like Apple’s Daisy iPhone disassembly tool.
The telemetry part of Concept Luna aims to solve the problem of hardware components that wear out at different stages, such as a motherboard failure while the keyboard and screen still work well.
“The evolution of our Luna concept can equip individual components and telemetry them to improve their lifetime. In its simplest form, it’s like the way we maintain our cars: we don’t throw the whole car away when we need new tires or brakes,” Dell says in a blog post.
The industrial robot has two arms which are configured for dismantling and sorting parts.
“The exciting addition of bots and automation serves as a catalyst for accelerating efficient teardown of devices, measuring component integrity and remaining usability, and better understanding which components can be reused, refurbished or recycled – so that nothing goes to waste,” says Dell.
“This vision has broad and deep implications for us, our customers and the industry as a whole, as we work together to reduce e-waste. »
The concept reached the stage where a Dell representative could disassemble the laptop during a For Ars Techinca demo in less than a minute. They explained that the display could be removed by inserting a pin into the base of the display which released a latch to allow it to be removed from the chassis.
Durability and repairability are also on the agenda of consumers and device manufacturers. US and European lawmakers who want to reduce e-waste are also moving forward with The Right to Reform Laws.
Dell is still a concept – and therefore not for sale. But some vendors have already capitalized on the appetite for more recoverable devices, such as Dutch smartphone company Fairphone, which launched 5G Fairphone 4 units last October. American laptop maker framework It refreshed my $999 benchmark laptop last year And recently released the Chromebook version with a 12th Gen Intel Core i5-1240P processor.
