The average lifespan of a cell phone is about 12 to 18 months, depending on your chosen service provider. But what if instead of discarding your outdated iPhone, the device could simply self-destruct, reducing landfill e-waste and airborne toxins?
That's what researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are working on, by building electronics that vanish in water.
John Rogers (pictured), UI professor of Materials Science and Engineering, said the goal of the"born to die" program is to design "transient technology that can dissolve at the end of its useful life," saving space in landfills and reducing waste, the Associated Press reported.
So far, the research team has developed a chip built on a thin film of silk, which dissolves when it comes in contact with water.
Further details are scant, but the evolution of self-destructing devices could be revolutionary. In 2010 alone, about 150 million used phones were dropped into landfills, where children in impoverished countries burn mountains of e-waste in an effort to extract the metals inside, which they sell for small bits of cash. Similar toxic environments are common in other countries, as well, the New York Times reported in May.
"You don't need your cell phone to last for 25 or 50 years," Rogers told the AP in the video below. "Nobody wants to keep it that long, anyway."
This transient tech is being engineered in a precise, controlled way, he said. In some instances, it can be actively triggered, so if you get caught in the pouring rain, your Samsung Galaxy S 4won't melt in your hands.
Rogers and company are also studying the devices' potential use in medical care and the military, and boast the technology's health benefits for people and the planet.
In the meantime, check out the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website for suggestions of how and where to recycle used electronics.