The Bloom Laptop: Open & DISCOVER a better user experience a more recyclable laptop
Vision:
To substantially reduce the 50 million tons of electronic waste that are added to landfills every year by developing a broad class of fully recyclable electronic products characterized by quick disassembly and effortless separation and disposal of product components by the consumer at end of life.
Background:
The growing demand for electronics and computers has reached a fevered pitch in recent years. As technology continues to play a larger role in our lives, the issue of electronics waste must be addressed. The EPA estimates that 1.3 million tons of computer products alone were ready for end-of-life (EOL) processing in the U.S. in 2007, the majority of which end up in landfills. The Autodesk team was tasked with finding a novel solution to this problem by developing a fully recyclable electronic product.
How can we design a competitive electronic product that is so incredibly easy to recycle that consumers can do it themselves?
Easy Disassembly:
- No tools are required for disassembly.
- Can be fully disassembled in a short amount of time.
- Minimize number of disassembly steps.
- Minimize the number of individual parts that must be disassembled at EOL.
- User should know when the disassembly process is complete. Instructions should show an obvious end to the process.
Recyclable:
- User can easily recognize which materials are recyclable and which require special handling.
- Design minimizes number of materials that must be down-cycled or separated.
- Visual instructions are uncluttered.
- Product components can be separated into single-stream recyclable and non-conventionally recyclable (NCR).
Modular:
- PCB components are as integrated as possible to reduce the number of parts that the user must remove.
- Can be easily upgraded and/or repaired.
Key Design Features:
Blooms Open:
- No need to flip the laptop over to access the components. Each layer of components opens up right in front of you – like the petals of a flower.
Quick Repair:
- The laptop’s modular design makes it easy to remove and replace major components such as the motherboard, hard drive, battery, fan, memory, screen, and keyboard.
Wireless Keyboard:
- The keyboard and track pad can be removed from the laptop case to allow for a larger variety of product use cases.
Media Coverage on Bloom Laptop:
>> Forbes: The road to a recyclable laptop
http://blogs.forbes.com/
>> MIT Technology Review: A Laptop You Can Break Down by Hand, Then Recycle
http://www.technologyreview.
>> Gizmodo: Students develop fully recyclable laptop that can be disassembled with no tools
http://gizmodo.com/5681994/
>> Core77: Bloom laptop designed with e-recycling in mind
http://www.core77.com/blog/
>> Good.is: The Voltron of laptops fights e-waste
http://www.good.is/post/video-
>> Discovery News: Dissassemble this laptop in thirty seconds
http://news.discovery.com/
