In its next life, your smartphone could be a mini data center

For just €8 per device, old smartphones could be refurbished into something useful.

More than a billion smartphones are produced annually. In 2022, 62 million tonnes of e-waste were generated, and this number is projected to reach 82 million tonnes in 2030.

The process of creating an electronic device requires significant energy and natural resources. Even after the device is finished and used, it still impacts the environment, depending on whether it’s recycled or thrown away.

Scientists at the University of Tartu Institute of Computer Science have found a way to extend the life of old smartphones by turning them into small data centers.

To combat the problem of rising electronic waste, the researchers showed how old smartphones can be turned into micro data centers that could track bus passengers and monitor marine life.

The innovation would only cost eight euros per phone and save companies from needing to develop a brand new technology.

With a never-ending output of interesting and heavily-marketed devices, it’s getting harder to change users' purchasing habits. That’s why it’s so important to find ways to keep old devices useful rather than being tossed in a trash can.

The researchers turned old smartphones into devices that can process and store data. The refurbished devices can be used in various settings. For example, they could collect data on public transport usage to make better network adjustments.

Another example of old device usage is marine life monitoring, reports Science Daily. When researchers started the project, they took a smartphone’s battery out and replaced it with an external power source.

Afterwards, four devices were connected, fixed with castings and holdings, and turned into a prototype to count sea species underwater.

The device proved useful, as a scuba diver currently has to go underwater to record information for the analysis manually.

Such an old-device-based prototype allowed this process to be done automatically.

While there are some known alternatives to reduce one’s e-waste, researchers show that devices that are considered e-waste could be given a whole new purpose in different everyday settings.