Old smartphones are getting a new lease on life—not as communication devices, but as mini data centers.
A team of researchers from the University of Tartu in Estonia has found an innovative way to reduce electronic waste by turning outdated phones into powerful tools for data storage and processing.
Every year, more than 1.2 billion smartphones are produced worldwide.
Making these devices takes a huge toll on the environment, using up precious natural resources and producing large amounts of carbon emissions.
At the same time, people replace their phones every two to three years—even when the devices still work—leading to a growing mountain of e-waste.
Changing how people buy and use phones would be the ideal solution, but it’s not always practical. Technology evolves fast, and older phones often can’t keep up.
That’s why the researchers behind this project—Huber Flores, Ulrich Norbisrath, Zhigang Yin, and Perseverance Ngoy—decided to find a new purpose for these old devices instead of letting them collect dust or end up in landfills.
Their idea was simple but clever: turn used smartphones into small, low-cost data centers. These can be used to store and process information for all kinds of applications.
For example, one use case they tested was collecting real-time data at bus stops to help improve public transport systems.
To build the first prototype, the researchers removed the phones’ batteries and powered them with external sources to avoid environmental hazards.
Then, using 3D-printed holders, they connected four phones together and created a compact data center—for only about 8 euros per phone.
The team even tested the device underwater, using it to monitor sea life by identifying and counting different species without needing a diver to record video manually.
The phone-based system did the job automatically, showing how these simple devices could handle complex tasks.
The research, published in IEEE Pervasive Computing, shows that old phones can do more than sit forgotten in drawers.
With just a few changes, they can help solve real-world problems while supporting environmental sustainability.
As the researchers put it, sustainability isn’t just about the future—it’s about finding smart ways to reuse what we already have today.
Source: KSR.
