Near future
No Result
View All Result
June 8 2023
  • Home
  • Tech
  • Health
  • Environment
  • Energy
  • Inland solutions
  • Spazio
  • AI
  • concepts
  • H+
Understand, anticipate, improve the future.
CES2023 / Coronavirus / Russia-Ukraine
Near future
  • Home
  • Tech
  • Health
  • Environment
  • Energy
  • Inland solutions
  • Spazio
  • AI
  • concepts
  • H+

Understand, anticipate, improve the future.

No Result
View All Result
Technology

Too much e-waste? The smartwatch becomes "soluble"

A remedy for the excess of electronic waste (also due to planned obsolescence)? Soluble electronics. A team shows that it can.

August 6 2021
Gianluca RiccioGianluca Riccio
⚪ 3 minutes
Share14Pin4Tweet9SendShare3ShareShare2
soluble

READ THIS IN:

For many they are days at sea, and many are choosing a smartwatch to do outdoor exercises. Maybe for long swims, as long as they are water resistant. What if I told you that they are pulling out a smartwatch that is capable of dissolving in water? A "soluble" smartwatch?

Tianjin University researchers used two-metal nanocomposite material to create a fully functional smartwatch prototype which dissolves when immersed in water.

But why?

According to the paper published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, wearable and soluble devices could be a solution to fight electronic waste. While larger electronics can be disassembled to recycle parts, smaller devices like smartwatches and fitness bands require a much more difficult process. The components must be recovered by hand and this can lead to dangerous processes such as open combustion or acid leaching.

Following this line of thinking, the researchers speculated that a soluble smartwatch could solve these problems.

The article continues after the related links

Concept Luna, the laptop prototype that you disassemble in 45 seconds without tools

The "living" smartwatch powered by a mold needs to be fed to function

Soluble but long lasting

The challenge here is that smartwatches and fitness bands need to be durable. While not all of them are safe for the pool or shower, most claim to withstand things like washing dishes, training sessions (with associated sweats), and thunderstorms.

Researchers modified a zinc-based nanocomposite material previously used to create a temporary soluble circuit. To make the material conductive enough for consumer electronics, the researchers added silver nanowires. They then printed the solution onto a water-degradable polymer and "solidified the circuits by applying small drops of water that facilitate chemical reactions and then evaporate"

How is the soluble smartwatch made?

soluble
The smartwatch prototype made with zinc-silver nanocomposite circuits inside a polyvinyl alcohol case (top) dissolves in water within 40 hours (bottom).

Using this method, the researchers created multiple printed circuit boards then housed inside a 3D printed polyvinyl alcohol case. (Polyvinyl alcohol is a water-soluble, biodegradable material.) The smartwatch prototype also included sensors that could read heart rate, step count, and blood oxygen levels. It was also able to connect to a phone app via Bluetooth. A smartwatch, I said it. Full blown.

During testing, the researchers found that the device was able to accurately record biometric data, as well as send emojis, caller ID, and messages from a paired phone. It was also able to withstand splashes of water droplets, indicating that the smartwatch could tolerate a (small?) Degree of humidity. However, when it was immersed for 40 hours in water, the prototype completely disintegrated. Soluble, I have already said this too. All that was left behind were components like the OLED screen and the microcontroller.

Electronic waste: a "legitimate alibi"

in 2019, the world has generated 53,6 million tons of electronic waste, of which only 17,4% was recycled. And already a few years earlier, the amount of global electronic waste it was enough to build 4.500 Eiffel Towers. The problem is only getting worse thanks to planned obsolescence. As companies quickly add new features to gadgets every year or stop updating older ones, consumers are incentivizedto throw away perfectly functioning devices.

Sure, tech giants have been making a big splash in recent years (very greenwashing) on their sustainability efforts and 2020 has seen a reduction in e-waste due to the pandemic, but that's not enough. Soluble electronics won't hit shelves anytime soon, but maybe someday it could help make recycling a little easier.

Tags: Planned obsolescenceSmartWatch


GPT Chat Megaeasy!

Concrete guide for those approaching this artificial intelligence tool, also designed for the school world: many examples of applications, usage indications and ready-to-use instructions for training and interrogating Chat GPT.

To submit articles, disclose the results of a research or scientific discoveries write to the editorial staff

Most read of the week

  • Oculus gives VR visit to the Anne Frank house

    282 Shares
    Share 113 Tweet 71
  • Sucralose, the bitter truth: the sweetener damages DNA

    6 Shares
    Share 2 Tweet 1
  • PAINT, the regenerative pen that heals wounds

    4 Shares
    Share 2 Tweet 1
  • Space solar, energy sent to Earth with radio waves: they did it

    4 Shares
    Share 1 Tweet 1
  • From Holland they warn: hackers have set their sights on solar panels

    3 Shares
    Share 1 Tweet 1

Enter the Telegram channel of Futuroprossimo, click here. Or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Mastodon e LinkedIn.

The daily tomorrow.


Futuroprossimo.it provides news on the future of technology, science and innovation: if there is something that is about to arrive, here it has already arrived. FuturoProssimo is part of the network ForwardTo, studies and skills for future scenarios.

FacebookTwitterInstagramTelegramLinkedInMastodonPinterestTikTok
  • Environment
  • Architecture
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Gadgets
  • concepts
  • Design
  • Medicine
  • Spazio
  • Robotica
  • Work
  • Inland solutions
  • Energy
  • Edition Francaise
  • Deutsche Ausgabe
  • Japanese version
  • English Edition
  • Portuguese Edition
  • Русское издание
  • Spanish edition

Subscribe to our newsletter

  • The Editor
  • Advertising on FP
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 Near future - Creative Commons License
This work is distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.

No Result
View All Result
Understand, anticipate, improve the future.
  • Home
  • Tech
  • Health
  • Environment
  • Energy
  • Inland solutions
  • Spazio
  • AI
  • concepts
  • H+