Daisy is developed to pull apart iPhones that would cost excessive to recondition and are considered end-of-life. It’s staffed by 3 to 4 individuals.
James Martin/CNET
Daisy is lots of things. It’s a 33-foot-long robotic that pulls apart iPhones with its 5 arms. It was developed by Apple. It’s a cacophony of servos, pressurized screw punches and other moving parts. It might likewise hold a crucial to electronic recycling’s future.
This robotic, revealed in 2015, is at the center of a brand-new Material Recovery Lab Apple’s integrated in Texas. The laboratory is developed to share Daisy’s innovation and aid advance e-recycling. Apple hopes the task will bring in academics, recyclers and other business to get involved.Â
“This is about the big hairy goal of making all our products from recycled materials,” stated Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social efforts, in an interview. “It’s going to take a while, but it’ll also take tons of innovation.”
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Apple wants to share its Daisy robot tech for recycling…
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While at the lab, we got to watch Daisy in action. Here’s what we saw:
This is a traditional e-recycling machine, which smashes electronics in an effort to expose valuable materials and collect them.
James Martin/CNET
Unfortunately, these materials often get co-mingled and become impure in the process.
James Martin/CNET
Apple’s first recycling robot, Liam, was announced in 2016 and was designed to disassemble the iPhone 6. Liam processed phones every 12 minutes.
James Martin/CNET
An iPhone begins its journey through Daisy on the conveyer belt.
James Martin/CNET
In the first stop, Daisy jams a set of prongs into the crease between the phone’s screen and body, separating them.
James Martin/CNET
In the next section, the iPhone loses its battery and screws.
James Martin/CNET
How do you remove a battery glued onto the phone’s body? Blast the glue with freezing air and knock it with enough force. The battery just falls out.
James Martin/CNET
Then the screws that hold the logic board are punched out. Daisy identifies which phone it’s looking at and the angle at which it’s sitting to make sure it’s accurate.
James Martin/CNET
At the last stage, Daisy removes the cameras, haptics, speakers and other bits. Daisy’s left with an aluminum shell, which can be carted off to be recycled.
James Martin/CNET
