Even those well versed with Samsung’s expansive reach across industries and consumer categories may be unaware the Korean tech giant funds a small separate team of designers, researchers, scientists, and engineers in Silicon Valley to ponder the big picture question, “What’s next?.” Nestled within the Samsung Research America technology center, the interdisciplinary collective known as the Think Tank Team works on developing concepts like Ballie, an autonomous personal robot and mobile projector, and in-home produce growing kitchen appliances. While those projects revolve around cutting edge technologies, the Think Tank Team is also concerned about the afterlife of devices already in the wild.
Mobile devices just a few years old are often labeled obsolete. Yet, these once treasured smartphones are generally still very capable of adopting new roles as household-bound smart devices. Nearly every household hosts a box or drawer where outdated/damaged mobile devices are banished to be forgotten – 1.7 unused mobile devices per household on average, according to data cited by Samsung.
Think Tank Team’s Project Afterlife was conceived to address the mounting issue of tech gone to waste, a concept that turns unused phones into a “timeless artifact” imagined to live on a mantle, sit bedside, or display on a shelf.
The design combines a smoky transparent recycled plastic arc – we like to imagine an inverted hard shell taco – accessorized with a recycled brass knob as a tactile interface knob. The whole outfit allows any smartphone to slide in for a new lease on life as a 3-function device. Using the device’s preexisting internal accelerometer and gyroscope sensors, the mobile device is reborn as a tabletop clock that switches typefaces when rocked, a picture frame, and also an art generation platform.
Once connected to Project Afterlife’s hardware accessory, smartphones can be used in a trio of functions: The ‘Endless Clock’ generates a new, unique clock face with every movement. ‘Timeline’ displays old photos. ‘Moment’ transforms photos into abstract art.
Last year, Project Afterlife won a Good Design award in the Recycling category.
The Think Tank Team’s Afterlife concept can be adapted for other types of electronic devices, such as tablets, smartwatches, and laptops.
Project Afterlife aims to fulfill your phone’s final purpose, but if you’re seeking to find a new home for an unused mobile device, remember many manufacturers, charities and cell service providers accept new and used phones to keep them from becoming e-waste.
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Source: design-milk