The quest for a durable and easily repairable computer is fueling the innovation of manufacturers. At Dell, a first version of the Luna concept was unveiled last year, with a prototype laptop that could be dismantled in a jiffy with a screwdriver. The stated objective was to make the components accessible, replaceable and reusable, in order to reduce the use of resources as much as possible. Since then, the engineers have further refined the concept by seeking to eliminate the screws, cables, glues and welds that complicate the operation and by designing components that simply plug into the chassis by sliding them.
To get started, only one push tool is needed to unlock the piece that holds the keyboard in place. Removing the latter gives access to the remains of the components (fan, battery, motherboard, etc.), which just need to be extracted from their housing in the correct order. With this small feat of modular design, the laptop can be completely disassembled in minutes, compared to up to more than an hour for standard models.
Beyond these improvements, Dell has more radically evolved its concept by integrating telemetry and robotics. With telemetry, the objective is to diagnose the individual state of each component of the system, the lifespan of which varies greatly depending on use. “People working from home, for example, can use external components, such as keyboards and monitors. The keyboard and the monitor of the laptop will then have barely been used, when the motherboard will be good to replace”, illustrates the manufacturer. The idea is to know precisely when and on which component to intervene.
If the operation to replace a component already seems within everyone’s reach, Dell pushes the concept further with the design of a robot capable of exploiting telemetry data and manipulating components even faster. This large articulated arm could thus considerably reduce repair times for customers and why not one day pave the way for self-service repair shops.
However, do not expect to see the arrival of PCs stamped Luna or a marketing of the concept soon. The concept is still in its early stages and Dell recognizes that this is a long-term vision.
“Our continued work with Concept Luna brings us closer to a future where more devices are engineered with a modular design. The exciting addition of robotics and automation serves as a catalyst for accelerating efficient teardown of devices, measuring component health and remaining usability, and better understanding which components can be reused, refurbished, or recycled — so that nothing is wasted”comment in a blog post Glen Robson, director of the Experience Innovation group at Dell.