Research Project - I need Help from the community please!?!
Hi,
I'm involved in a research project to guage what is technically possible at this moment in time in regards to designing a desktop, a laptop and a mobile tablet device completely without the concern of the cost/profit structure of our society limiting it in any way. To give an example of what I mean, here is what I am looking for:
Project Objective:
To design the best possible prototype while taking into account the following:
- As close to 100% recyclable as is technically possible
- Resource & material availability in relation to total population (meaning: if you need to use rare or hard to find materials, you'll need to choose something different.)
- Highest level of energy efficiency possible without compromising quality or performance
- Greatest overall durability & lifespan (so the product lasts as long as possible)
- As plug & play as possible (ex. let's say the outer shell is made from Titanium and has a lifespan of 40 years on average, could the internal components be designed into a universal slide out tray so new developments could replace the old easily?)
- Most technologically advanced (microprocessors and components today are advanced but if you have ideas to improve them, I'm all ears)
- Most environmentally friendly product (lowest number of toxins in materials)
- Maximize safety features (may or may not apply)
- Streamline number of components utilized in build, under the assumption there is no parts industry (ex. Today we might have a processor, Ram, HD, Video Card, etc...Combine as many components as possible throughout the build.)
Project Criteria:
- Remove overall cost from the equation (I couldn't care less how much R&D through finished product costs)
- Remove the profit motive from equation (The product won't be sold so maximizing profit is not an issue)
- Whether you're an engineer or a techie in his/her basement assume you have all materials, technology and human ingenuity required at your disposal.
- Use the absolute best known methods and get creative.
What can you design? If any of you create and render your own product images, I'd love to see a mockup of your idea if you care to devote the time. I've seen some really cool mockup images on here in the past.
This is not a question of what would you like Apple to build....More along the lines of....If you took AMD, IBM, Motorola, Intel, Apple, NVIDIA, Microsoft and five other companies you consider to be the best in their field and combined them together into one entity....what could they/you produce given the above rules?
I really appreciate any feedback you can give and for taking the time to give some input. Links to material is always welcome. Thank you and have a great night!
-Ryan
I'm involved in a research project to guage what is technically possible at this moment in time in regards to designing a desktop, a laptop and a mobile tablet device completely without the concern of the cost/profit structure of our society limiting it in any way. To give an example of what I mean, here is what I am looking for:
Project Objective:
To design the best possible prototype while taking into account the following:
- As close to 100% recyclable as is technically possible
- Resource & material availability in relation to total population (meaning: if you need to use rare or hard to find materials, you'll need to choose something different.)
- Highest level of energy efficiency possible without compromising quality or performance
- Greatest overall durability & lifespan (so the product lasts as long as possible)
- As plug & play as possible (ex. let's say the outer shell is made from Titanium and has a lifespan of 40 years on average, could the internal components be designed into a universal slide out tray so new developments could replace the old easily?)
- Most technologically advanced (microprocessors and components today are advanced but if you have ideas to improve them, I'm all ears)
- Most environmentally friendly product (lowest number of toxins in materials)
- Maximize safety features (may or may not apply)
- Streamline number of components utilized in build, under the assumption there is no parts industry (ex. Today we might have a processor, Ram, HD, Video Card, etc...Combine as many components as possible throughout the build.)
Project Criteria:
- Remove overall cost from the equation (I couldn't care less how much R&D through finished product costs)
- Remove the profit motive from equation (The product won't be sold so maximizing profit is not an issue)
- Whether you're an engineer or a techie in his/her basement assume you have all materials, technology and human ingenuity required at your disposal.
- Use the absolute best known methods and get creative.
What can you design? If any of you create and render your own product images, I'd love to see a mockup of your idea if you care to devote the time. I've seen some really cool mockup images on here in the past.
This is not a question of what would you like Apple to build....More along the lines of....If you took AMD, IBM, Motorola, Intel, Apple, NVIDIA, Microsoft and five other companies you consider to be the best in their field and combined them together into one entity....what could they/you produce given the above rules?
I really appreciate any feedback you can give and for taking the time to give some input. Links to material is always welcome. Thank you and have a great night!
-Ryan
Comments
People do have ideas, but one has to wonder if this will end up being read by someone who will try to extract a patentable idea, and go with it. So i expect posters to be cautious.
As for a general idea, let's see... next gen silver-zinc batteries that Intel is investing in..they may be of interest to you.
Something already patented, a self calibrating display that returns available light when possible, may be another sustainability feature.
E-ink, a processor that pauses when ever possible, solid state flash storage...even more power saving features. Software is as much a part of sustainability as hardware.
As for recyclability, it's not likely that i would want to share any thoughs on actual design, but aluminum is a good step forward.
Removable components are good for sustainable repair practices, but to some degree are speed barrier. Perhaps a good design would be a SoC chip, like Apple's A4 (or the Cortex A8 it's derived from), which can be easily removed from the motherboard. The motherboard will have the bulk of connectors come on PCIe cards, which can be swapped out. Memory would be removable as well. An SSD drive can also be upgraded as needed, since it will also use a PCIe interface. The best option would be a board where only RAM, power and the CPU have specialized connections. the rest uses PCIe or equivalent card technology, where anything interesting can be added or removed. Obsolete ports, such as USB 1 and parallel can be swapped out in favor of Firewire and USB3. Everything can be kept if a motherboard alone can be upgraded to allow for progressive upgrading for let's see...15 years maybe
Hardware still becomes obsolete after about ten years, so something that's designed to last 40 years is a bit of an overkill. Still, good luck with your project.
I feel that the whole green thing is not as relevant today as it would be in a couple of years. Our main problem is manufacturers like HP churning out crap that fails after less than a year of use. Green technologies if used incorrectly, will just encourage throw-away equipment
Dan