We are all continuously connected with our smartphones, tablets and smartwatches. And somehow we depend on them: we don't know how to go without them for long. Otherwise it is not explained the fact that we passively accept the fact that they break or become obsolete on a rather regular basis, and we rush to throw them away and/or replace them without repairing them.
And then we are surprised if the amount of electronic waste present in the world reaches, as it has, around 40 million tons per year. Scientists at the University of Chicago are trying to make a change with the invention of a "living" smartwatch, powered by a "blob" of mold. How about? How does it sound to you on first listen? I find it suggestive. Dear, I'm going to feed the clock, things like that.
How can it reduce the environmental impact of e-waste?
The clock created by researchers Jasmine Lu e Pedro Lopes it is powered by a single-celled organism called slime mold. To work it needs a real "partnership" between man and machine. How does it work? Simple: you have to take care of it. Physically. You have to feed this slime mold, and it in return produces theelectricity that keeps the device running. At Chicago University they say they are certain that by making our devices "alive" we will take responsibility for their use, and perhaps we will keep them with us longer. Then one gets attached.
It all starts from a thesis: if an emotional bond is created between the user and the device, the latter is considered as a living being in its own right. The developed smartwatch is not much to look at, but it is impressive. And it doesn't just show the time: it also measures the user's heart rate. The "true heart", however, is found inside: that is where the physarum polycephalum, a species of slimy mold also known as “the blob” for its rapid growth, and a strange ability to solve mazes.
Mold eats, mold makes
As mentioned, this strange device uses a living organism to function. The “master” must feed it with a mixture of oats and water. The mold is responsible for producing the electricity needed to operate the smartphone, and when it grows enough to reach both sides of its “housing” it forms the electrical circuit that makes it work.
What if you don't feed them regularly? Mold gets hurt and goes into hibernation. A reversible hibernation, however, don't worry. Just feed her again for her to reactivate, even months later. Even YEARS later. Is it or not worth studying a dynamic like this?
Find it here all the details. And hurry up with those oats, the clock is hungry.
