Samsung Turns Old Phones into New Tools
April 22, 2021
- Author: CTA Staff
As part of its greater sustainability efforts, Samsung announced its Galaxy Upcycling at Home program, promoting a creative solution to combat electronic waste while providing convenient smart home solutions.
Image source: Samsung
With constant innovations in tech, consumers are often refreshing their devices, buying new versions and discarding the old. Disposing or recycling these abandoned devices must take into account the sometimes harmful materials incorporated in them.
At CES® 2021, Samsung, a Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® member, outlined its new Galaxy Upcycling at Home program, which enables users to give new life to their old devices by turning them into convenient Internet of Things tools around the home.
“We created Galaxy Upcycling at Home to enable more people to repurpose their old devices into useful tools,” said Sung-Koo Kim, VP of the Sustainability Management Office, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics, “allowing both Samsung and our users to be mindful of the impact we have on the environment.”
Making a Smart Home with Old Phones
By repurposing built-in sensors, older devices can be transformed into childcare monitors, pet care solutions, light sensors and more through SmartThings Labs, a feature within the SmartThings app.
An artificial intelligence solution enables Galaxy devices to accurately distinguish sounds such as a baby crying or a dog barking and send an alert to the user’s new phone. Because phone’s sensors can recognize brightness levels, users can set the device to automatically turn on the lights in the home if the room becomes darker than the standard.
The Galaxy Upcycling at Home upgrade also contains battery optimization solutions to allow these outmoded devices to actively operate for extended periods of time and perform their new functions.
Shaping a Planet First Future
At its CES 2021 press conference, Samsung also announced that all of its QLED, UHD TV and audio projects will feature eco-packaging — a CES 2020 Innovation Awards honoree — with cardboard boxes that can easily transform into other household objects.
Initiatives such as eco-packaging and the Galaxy Upcycling program are all part of the company’s larger commitment to sustainability through innovative products and technology.
From eco-conscious product design and recyclable materials to sustainable supply chain management and climate action, Samsung is setting an example of how green tech can be created and leveraged for more applications across an organization.
Watch the full Samsung CES 2021 press conference to hear more.
