Robotics

Apple's new recycling robot takes apart 200 iPhones an hour

Apple's new recycling robot takes apart 200 iPhones an hour
Apple's Daisy iPhone-disassembly robot
Apple's Daisy iPhone-disassembly robot
View 10 Images
Daisy can disassemble up to 200 iPhones an hour
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Daisy can disassemble up to 200 iPhones an hour
Daisy is actually more like a whole system than an individual robot
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Daisy is actually more like a whole system than an individual robot
Daisy can disassemble nine versions of the iPhone
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Daisy can disassemble nine versions of the iPhone
According to Apple, Daisy is able to "recover valuable materials that traditional recyclers cannot"
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According to Apple, Daisy is able to "recover valuable materials that traditional recyclers cannot"
Apple's Daisy iPhone-disassembly robot
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Apple's Daisy iPhone-disassembly robot
Daisy can disassemble up to 200 iPhones an hour
6/10
Daisy can disassemble up to 200 iPhones an hour
Daisy is actually more like a whole system than an individual robot
7/10
Daisy is actually more like a whole system than an individual robot
Daisy can disassemble nine versions of the iPhone
8/10
Daisy can disassemble nine versions of the iPhone
According to Apple, Daisy is able to "recover valuable materials that traditional recyclers cannot"
9/10
According to Apple, Daisy is able to "recover valuable materials that traditional recyclers cannot"
Apple's Daisy iPhone-disassembly robot
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Apple's Daisy iPhone-disassembly robot
View gallery - 10 images

It's often tempting to think that if Apple had its way, iPhone users would be replacing their phones every year. As it is, there are a lot of traded-in iPhones that need recycling – and that's where the company's new Daisy robot comes in.

Daisy is actually more like a whole system than an individual robot. It features technologies based on what Apple learned from Liam, which was the company's first disassembly robot, launched two years ago – Daisy even incorporates some of Liam's parts.

The robot is capable of disassembling nine versions of the iPhone at a rate of up to 200 phones per hour, removing and sorting their components for subsequent recycling or reuse. According to Apple, it's able to "recover valuable materials that traditional recyclers cannot."

Daisy can disassemble nine versions of the iPhone
Daisy can disassemble nine versions of the iPhone

At this point, it's not clear if there will be just one centrally-located Daisy, or multiple robots in various locations. We've reached out to the company for clarification, and are still waiting to hear back.

Source: Apple

View gallery - 10 images
2 comments
2 comments
Josh!
Apple sold 217 million iPhones in 2017. @ 200 iPhones an hour, this robot can recycle 1.8 million iPhones a year. That's 0.8% of iPhones sold. Which begs the question: Are they planning on building a LOT of these robots, or is this just a PR gimmick?
christopher
Because fixing and reusing them might harm profits, destroying the phones and the planet is the next best idea? Shame!