Reducing electronic waste through the development of an adaptable mobile device

Abstract

Electronic waste is a growing problem in the world. As technology is more rapidly developed and made accessible to the public, an increase in the disposal of old electronics becomes more imminent. Electronic waste is harmful to the environment and the amount that it attributes to the waste stream can be reduced. Electronic products such as mobile devices are ubiquitous and the rates with which they are acquired and replaced by the consumers continue to rise. The current mobile device market encourages the acquisition of new devices more often than the end-of-life of the entire product. To create a more sustainable technological future, there must be a reduction in mobile device contribution to electronic waste. The problem of electronic waste with specific focus on mobile devices is approached from a systems engineering perspective. We performed a requirements analysis of alternative architectures that could potentially encourage and inspire customers to keep mobile devices for longer durations. In particular, we explored the idea of Phonebloks or a modular device, identified the critical factors in the development phase as outlined by ISO 15288 and ISO 9001 standards, and implemented a survey to evaluate user interest. This research explores a proof-of-concept design for a mobile device that is durable and customizable. A modular device allows for the consumer to replace a piece of the phone rather than the entire phone when they need to update their device. The consumer base is important to the success of the product, and our survey indicates a significant potential for consumer interest. The success of such a device could influence the development of more sustainable devices that will further encourage environmentally conscious technological design.