It’s a funny thing to find yourself at an Apple product announcement event and leaving most impressed not by their latest products, but by something designed to deconstruct the very products which define the brand. Such was the case when Lisa Jackson, Apple vice president for Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, presented to the world, Liam, a robot designed to disassemble the iPhone 6 in efficient – if not elegant – fashion.
Part of the Apple Renew Program and three years in the making, the armed robot impressed press and attendees with its agility and capabilities, as part of Apple’s March keynote.
Also, in the process of disassembling the iPhone 6, the general public gains insight about the inner construction of Apple’s top device, revealing the tight quarters and variable components hidden within the minimalist exterior casing.
Lisa Jackson, Apple vice president for Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, presenting the Apple Renew Program, Apple’s initiative to help reduce e-waste.
As it stands, Liam is currently one-of-a-kind, but will soon be joined by a second overseas European cousin designed for the task, each machine capable of disassembling and sorting an iPhone 6 in 11 seconds. With ever-growing demand for mobile devices, it seems almost a necessity for Liam and his future ilk to become more widely available, recognizing the finite resources which go into manufacturing these devices that the world has become accustomed to relying upon.
Liam disassembles Apple’s iPhone 6 in just 11 seconds, recovering valuable and reusable components such as gold, aluminum, silver, copper, tin, tungsten, and cobalt parts.
