Like many other companies, Dell Technologies has re-examined its products to see if it can design a laptop with a lower carbon footprint and more benefits for its customers. It has been a daunting task: making a positive environmental impact, accelerating circular economy practices, developing a robust e-waste strategy, and aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But it led to a new prototype – Concept Luna.
As Glenn Robson, Chief Technology Officer, Customer Solutions Group, describes the effort, “In the past year alone, we have introduced closed-loop aluminum from unused hard drives, bioplastics made from tree waste into the paper manufacturing process and expanded our use of reclaimed carbon fibres. to over 1.2 million lbs. But we needed to find new keys to unlock new doors to get us there faster. Last year, we shared our vision for a parallel innovation workflow to accelerate circular design, and now we’re sharing the prototype.”
So, what concept and type of product can we expect? The Concept Luna prototype promises a 50 percent reduction in the overall carbon footprint. The company says it has experimented with the materials to boost energy, power and cooling efficiency. It has shrunk the motherboard by about 75 percent and the number of components by about 20 percent.
According to Robson, “Moving the smaller motherboard to the top cover brings it closer to a larger surface area exposed to the cold air outside. This, along with separating it from the battery charging unit at the base, results in better passive heat distribution and can completely eliminate the need for a fan “.
The new design requires a smaller battery with advanced deep cycle cells. The chassis was built from aluminum that had been treated with hydroelectric power and produced little scrap.
“We need to go from ‘use, then recycle’, to ‘use, reuse many times, and then recycle when the material is no longer usable in its original form,'” Robson says.
The prototype has fewer screws for faster repairs. The palm rest assembly is designed for reuse and repair, the deep cycle battery promises a long charge and many years of functionality, and the printed circuit board is made of flax fibers in the base and a water-soluble polymer like glue, making recycling easier.
When will it be available? media site the edge Reports indicate that the concept needs to be validated for mass production and many design concepts will be implemented by 2030.
.