With eco-consciousness very much at the forefront of developmental thinking for leading consumer technology manufacturers, Finnish mobile phone behemoth Nokia Corp. has this week unveiled a cutting-edge handset that couldn’t be any greener if it tried.
Nokia looks to make rivals green with envy thanks to new Eco Sensor Concept handset. Credit: Nokia.
Constructed in its entirety from renewable and/or reclaimed materials, the Nokia Eco Sensor Concept handset is a phone that Nokia claims will help it meet its "future vision" of developing mobile technologies in new ways "to help us all reduce our environmental footprint."
Described as a "visionary design concept," the new Eco Sensor should arrive as a dedicated mobile phone that also includes a wearable sensor unit for sensing and analysing the user’s environment, health, and local weather conditions in order to help increase global environmental awareness.
The sensor unit, which can be worn on the wrist or around the neck on a strap made from solar cells, which power its sensors. NFC (near field communication) technology transfers gathered sensor information to the phone handset – or to any other NFC compatible device.
The user will also be able to select exactly which sensors are placed within the separate wearable unit, tailoring it to their specific needs. For example, the sensor could be used to assess and assist with personal health if used as a heart-rate monitor and motion detector (for measuring walking pace).
"The possibilities to introduce creative and useful mobile applications and web services that build upon the environmental data collected from such a design concept are numerous," outlines Nokia. "These services can range from personal health monitoring and improvement, to large-scale collective efforts to promote sustainable lifestyle choices. Even very simple environmental variables can bring about novel solutions when shared and integrated into a global network of mobile explorers."
Nokia is also keen to point out that the Eco Sensor handset will include only printed electronics as well as bio and reclaimed materials, focusing the company’s drive to expand the "three Rs," which are ‘reduce, reuse, and recycle.’
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