On average, there are 1.7 unused phones per US household – unused, living in drawers, and hidden in boxes. They often have cracked screens, scratches, and old batteries – yet they are still functional. Sometimes they even hold emotional value. To add to the problem, only 15% of discarded phones in the US are recycled.

Created by Samsung Research America’s Think Tank Team, Afterlife is a product concept that gives old devices a final purpose as beautiful artifacts. Afterlife is functional and timeless, and designed to be treasured forever.

The Afterlife body is constructed out of a single piece of recycled plastic, with a recycled brass knob for additional input. The companion app allows the device to be switched between three delightful modes. The Endless Clock generates a new, unique clock face with every movement. Timeline displays a photo from your past, based on the position of the brass knob along the slider. Moment converts your photos into abstract art pieces, revealing the image in certain positions. Afterlife requires no additional sensors or devices to enable these interactions, as everything relies on the phone’s internal IMU sensor to detect position and orientation. Afterlife is also designed to work with any phone, regardless of size or manufacturer.

Afterlife – your phone’s final purpose.

Background

E-waste is the most rapidly growing waste problem in the world. When e-waste is buried in landfills, these toxic chemicals can leach into the soil and contaminate local water supplies. This jeopardizes the health of any nearby communities and can lead to environmental catastrophes. In rarer, more severe cases, e-waste is burned.

The Think Tank Team explored many form iterations, user interactions, and functionalities before selecting the final design and experiences. Building physical prototypes and testing ideas in the real world, with real users, was a critical step in choosing a design direction. As a concept, the possibilities for Afterlife are virtually endless, as the phones can be retrofitted into an infinite number of products and artifacts. The concept of Afterlife can also be extended to other types of electronic devices, such as tablets, smartwatches, laptops, etc.

Category:RecyclingYear:2023Designers:Stefan van der Hoff, Philipp Schoessler, Curt Aumiller, Hanna Fuhrmann, Cathy Kim, Daeeop Kim, Tara Sriram & Jiawei Zhang, Samsung Think Tank Team, Mountain View, California, USAManufacturer:Samsung Think Tank Team, Mountain View, California, USA