Disused smartphones to control buildings
Hanmin Cai von der Eidgenössischen Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt (Empa) arbeitet daran, ausgediente Smartphones für die Steuerung von Gebäudesystemen einzusetzen. Auf diese Weise kann auf die CO2-intensive Produktion neuer Computerchips für diese Aufgaben verzichtet werden.
The automation of building systems can significantly reduce the energy requirements of buildings. However, computer chips are required to control them, the production of which is associated with CO2 emissions. Hanmin Cai, a researcher in the field of urban energy systems at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology(Empa), wants to remedy this situation. Instead of new hardware, the Empa researcher wants to use disused smartphones.
“These systems are designed to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions,” Cai is quoted as saying in a corresponding Empa press release. “But if we have to manufacture new hardware for this purpose, the production and transport of which require valuable resources and cause large amounts of CO2, then we are simply shifting some of the emissions to other sectors.” Smartphones that are taken out of service due to a damaged screen or weak batteries usually still have perfectly functioning memory and processors. Cai has investigated the extent to which these are suitable for controlling control and communication tasks in building systems.
Initial tests have shown that the smartphone controllers provide sufficient accuracy and communication speed for building control. However, according to the information provided, there is still a long way to go before the approach is ready for the market. Issues such as security and the service life of the memory and processors used still need to be clarified.