• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Your Membership
    • Edit Your Profile
  • Services
    • Advertising
    • Case studies
    • Design
    • Email marketing
    • Lead generation
    • Magazine
    • Press releases
    • Publishing
    • Sponsored posts
    • Webcasting
    • Webinars
    • White papers
    • Writing
  • Shop
    • My Account
    • Cart
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy
    • Terms of use
  • Events

Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

  • News
  • Features
  • Video
  • Webinars
  • White papers
  • Press releases
  • Featured companies
    • BlueBotics
    • SICK Sensor Intelligence
    • Vicor Power
apple liam robot

Apple’s Liam robot helping drive innovation and eco-friendly technology

September 16, 2016 by Sam Francis

With the development of innovative tech devices continuing at a rapid pace, global electronic waste is set to create a major problem. In research featured by Ecowatch, it revealed that e-waste is predicted to reach 65 million tons by 2017. 



One of the major contributors of e-waste is the disposal of mobile devices, particularly smartphones that get replaced quickly as mobile manufacturers continue to introduce better models annually.

However, Apple plans to change the game by producing top of the line smartphones while offering a reliable recycling robot to quickly deconstruct iPhones and saves its components. 

Introduced earlier this year, Liam is made up of 29-armed robotic modules that focuses on taking apart an iPhone in seconds. 

Based on a representative by Apple, the robot can dismantle an iPhone 6 in 11 seconds, recovering recyclable parts such as aluminium, gold, silver, and copper among other parts.

Liam can disassemble 350 iPhone units an hour or 1.3 million devices in a year. The robot uses mega-shredders and magnets to separate the parts.

Lisa Jackson, Apple’s VP of environment, policy and social initiatives, says: “Ultimately, our goal is to create breakthroughs that allow us to use those high quality materials in our own products, because to reuse and recycle is so important. And that’s where you can come in. With Apple Renew, you can recycle your devices easily and quickly and in a way that’s safe for your data and safe for the planet. All you have to do is take them into an Apple retail store.”

The first Liam has been installed at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, while a second robot is going to be installed somewhere in Europe.

While Liam was a no-show at the latest Keynote event, Apple seems to be more focused on producing eco-friendly mobile devices. 

The tech giant released their newest flagship products, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which both sport rugged features.

According to tech resource and mobile telecommunications company O2, the handsets come with IP67 water-resistant certification, making it safe from any water splashes.

With the new feature, it presents a longer lifespan compared to the previous iPhone models that quickly lose functionality if exposed to water.

Likewise, the iPhone SE, which was launched at the same time as Liam, is also considered eco-friendly. Evidently, the four-inch comeback from Apple reused the same body as the iPhone 5 and 5s, but with upgraded features similar to the iPhone 6s. 

Jackson confirmed that the company decided to up its recycling game.

Apple is working on encouraging more iFans to recycle their Apple products by joining their Renew program, either by visiting their nearest Apple Store or signing up online.

“We’re switching to greener materials to create safer products and manufacturing processes,” Apple says.

While Apple refuses to share how much they spend on developing Liam, this new innovation is expected to make a big impact on the future of e-waste recycling.

“

Today, Liam is still a work in progress. However, with enough support, Apple will have enough reasons to produce this revolutionary robotic invention that can fight the growing problem of electronic waste worldwide.”

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Skype
  • WhatsApp
  • Telegram
  • Pocket

You might also like…

Filed Under: Industrial robots, Industry, News Tagged With: apple, devices, iphone, liam, robot

Join the Robotics & Automation News community

Primary Sidebar

Latest articles

  • How robots and RPA will change the business of the future
  • The Pros and Cons of Selling vs Trading in Your Vehicle
  • How to Ensure Your Drivers Stay Safe on the Road
  • Reasons Why You Need to Buy a Rotary Fill and Seal Coffee Packaging Machine
  • Fulfyld selects inVia Robotics to automate warehouses
  • DB Schenker to operate zero-emission autonomous ship for Ekornes
  • Southie Autonomy secures $2.5 million seed funding and $5 million in robot lease financing
  • Daimler Truck makes strategic investment in Apex.AI
  • Berkshire Grey launches new mobile robotic platform
  • Clearpath Robotics launches latest version of TurtleBot

Most Read

  • Top 20 electric vehicle charging station companies
    Top 20 electric vehicle charging station companies
  • Difference Between Three-Phase and Single-Phase Power
    Difference Between Three-Phase and Single-Phase Power
  • Track your lost Android
    Track your lost Android
  • Top 20 programmable logic controller manufacturers
    Top 20 programmable logic controller manufacturers
  • Top 25 vertical farming companies
    Top 25 vertical farming companies
  • Wood that’s twice as expensive as gold? Really?
    Wood that’s twice as expensive as gold? Really?
  • The Best Mechanical Engineering Design Software in 2022
    The Best Mechanical Engineering Design Software in 2022
  • Top 10 graphics processing unit manufacturers: Nvidia clearly in the lead
    Top 10 graphics processing unit manufacturers: Nvidia clearly in the lead
  • Industrial robot costs to drop by half in the next three years
    Industrial robot costs to drop by half in the next three years
  • What You Need to Know About Fixing an Engine Misfire
    What You Need to Know About Fixing an Engine Misfire

Overused words

abb ai applications automated automation automotive autonomous business china companies company control customers data design development digital electric global industrial industry logistics machine manufacturing market mobile platform process production robot robotic robotics robots safety software solution solutions system systems technologies technology time vehicle vehicles warehouse

Secondary Sidebar

Latest news

  • How robots and RPA will change the business of the future
  • The Pros and Cons of Selling vs Trading in Your Vehicle
  • How to Ensure Your Drivers Stay Safe on the Road
  • Reasons Why You Need to Buy a Rotary Fill and Seal Coffee Packaging Machine
  • Fulfyld selects inVia Robotics to automate warehouses
  • DB Schenker to operate zero-emission autonomous ship for Ekornes
  • Southie Autonomy secures $2.5 million seed funding and $5 million in robot lease financing
  • Daimler Truck makes strategic investment in Apex.AI
  • Berkshire Grey launches new mobile robotic platform
  • Clearpath Robotics launches latest version of TurtleBot

Footer

We are…

Robotics and Automation News was established in May, 2015, and is now one of the most widely-read websites in its category.

Please consider supporting us by becoming a paying subscriber, or through advertising and sponsorships, or by purchasing products and services through our shop – or a combination of all of the above.

Thank you.

Independent

Archivists

September 2016
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  
« Aug   Oct »

Complex

Old-skool

This website and its associated magazine, and weekly newsletter, are all produced by a small team of experienced journalists and media professionals.

If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to contact us at any of the email addresses on our contact page.

We’d be happy to hear from you, and will always reply as soon as possible.

Future-facing

Free, fair and legal

We support the principles of net neutrality and equal opportunities.

Member of The Internet Defense League

Copyright © 2022 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT