“Garbatrage” Transforms Electronic Waste into Valuable Prototyping Resources
E-waste into prototypes. Ilan Mandel, a robotics researcher and builder at Cornell University, found himself puzzled by a seemingly illogical situation: how could a brand-new hoverboard cost less than the individual parts needed to build it? This discrepancy led him to contemplate the challenges of designing and prototyping, where finished products are incredibly cheap, yet building something from scratch is prohibitively expensive. Mandel, a doctoral student in information science at Cornell Tech, unintentionally stumbled upon the topic of his latest research while repurposing components from old hoverboards to create a fleet of robots in New York City.
The research, titled “Recapturing Product as Material Supply: Hoverboards as Garbatrage,” was recognized with an honorable mention at the Association for Computing Machinery’s Designing Interactive Systems conference in July. Wendy Ju, an associate professor at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech, co-authored the paper and is part of the Department of Information Science in the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science.
E-waste into prototypes: Design and manufacturing processes
Ju highlighted that our design and manufacturing often assume an infinite supply of identical materials and components, a flawed perspective.
Expanding on principles from the field of human-computer interaction, which seeks to integrate sustainability and reuse, the Cornell researchers introduce a concept they call “garbatrage.” Therefore, this framework is designed for prototype builders and revolves around repurposing underutilized devices. Mandel and Ju use their experience with repurposing hoverboards, those self-balancing, motorized scooters that experienced a surge in popularity around 2016, as a case study to illustrate the economic factors that make garbatrage feasible. Additionally, they advocate for a shift in design philosophy that emphasizes material reuse, promotes circular economies and sustainable supply chains, and ultimately reduces electronic waste, or e-waste.
The timing appears opportune for adopting practices like garbatrage, driven by both sustainability concerns and recent global challenges such as supply shortages and international trade issues.
The diversity of hardware
Mandel emphasized appreciating daily hardware diversity as a valuable resource. He stressed the importance of recognizing that what people often perceive as trash can hold significant value and become useful through strategic effort.
Electronic waste often contains reusable components for future prototypes.
Sadly, these discarded devices and their parts contribute to about 53 million metric tons of global electronic waste each year. Shockingly, only about 20% of this waste undergoes proper recycling, leaving the fate of the remaining 80% unclear. Therefore, a 2020 UN report shows e-waste going to developing nations, where people burn electronics for metals. This practice not only contaminates the land but also poses a significant public health hazard.
Mandel pointed out that designers occupy a unique position at the interface between large-scale industrialization and end-users. He believes designers can significantly leverage electronic waste for sustainability, going beyond prompting consumers to reflect on their actions.
Read the original article on sciencedaily.
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