Tech giants are now aware of the impact they have on the planet. And regularly, they announce the progress made or new commitments for the climate.
With regard to Dell, for example, it has already committed to achieving carbon neutrality by including Scopes 1, 2 and 3 by 2050. Thus, this commitment does not only concern the company’s offices, but also the supply chain, as well as the use of its products by consumers.
And as part of its climate commitments, Dell has also been working on a concept called Luna through which the company wants to make its computers more sustainable. At VivaTech 2022, the brand exclusively showed us one of its first copies.
Exclusively, @DellTechFrance reveals us to #VivaTech one of the rare examples of the famous Luna concept.
👉🏻 a modular, less polluting and easily repairable laptop
👉🏻 each component can be replaced with a simple twist.#computer #dell #Luna pic.twitter.com/W2JKhODxOn
— Lemon squeezer @ #VivaTech (@pressecitron) June 16, 2022
The project dates back to January, when Dell spoke of the need to move from a “use then recycle” model to a “use, reuse, then reuse, and reuse again” cycle until the product is truly no longer usable. . Also, with the Luna concept, the brand is exploring ways to achieve this goal.
Dell’s modular PC exclusively at Vivatech
At VivaTech 2022 (see our live from the event), Dell gave us a look at this repairability-optimized design. In essence, the idea is to make disassembly extremely quick, and the components easily accessible.
The screen is disassembled (with two screws) and hides a graphics card and the processor behind. In a few seconds, you can access all the components (battery, speaker, connectors, etc.).
👉🏻 it’s a mock-up.
👉🏻 it’s AWESOME@DellTechFrance #VivaTech pic.twitter.com/DBTpHrGfNF— Lemon squeezer @ #VivaTech (@pressecitron) June 16, 2022
As explained in the tweets above, the screen is disassembled by unscrewing only two screws. Indeed, the design of this PC means that the number of screws to remove to access the various components is divided by 10. Thus, the time required to disassemble, repair and reassemble the key components of this PC would be reduced by 1 hour 30 minutes. keyboard has also been redesigned for easier disassembly and access to components.
In addition to this modular aspect, Luna is also designed to save resources and reduce pollution during production, as well as energy consumption.
“A new bio-based printed circuit board (PCB) is made with flax fiber instead of traditional plastic laminates. It also uses a water-soluble polymer as a glue, which means recyclers can more easily separate the metals and components from the boards.”explained for example Dell in January.
Technically, it is a computer that is infinitely repairable. Its carbon footprint would be only 65kg/CO2 (vs an industry average of 300kg).
It is only a mock-up, but it is part of its strategy of carbon neutrality by 2050 #VivaTech #Dell pic.twitter.com/2LwwbnFwly
— Lemon squeezer @ #VivaTech (@pressecitron) June 16, 2022
The brand has also reduced the number of superimposed layers on the screen to reduce energy consumption. And the total area of the motherboard has been reduced by 75%, while the number of components has been reduced by 20%. Dell estimates that this design would reduce motherboard power consumption by 50%.
And since this motherboard is smaller, it is placed in the top cover, the objective being to enjoy natural cooling thanks to the fresh air from outside. “This, combined with its separation from the battery charging unit, positioned in the base, leads to better passive heat distribution and could totally eliminate the need for a fan”according to Dell.
Dell’s initiative is reminiscent of the feat of a brand in the smartphone industry: Fairphone. It already markets smartphones whose modular design makes it easier to repair its models (with a score of 10/10 from iFixit for the Fairphone 4), which encourages a longer period of use of the same device by the consumer.
Unfortunately, the Luna concept is not about to hit the market. Indeed, the objective of Dell is not to market this one, but to explore the possibilities. Nevertheless, later, some of the innovations of this concept could therefore arrive on commercial products.
But according to Dell, if all the innovations imagined for this concept were used, it would reduce the carbon footprint of the product by 50% (the reference here being the Dell Latitude 7300 Anniversary Edition).
