A Case Study in Environmentally Conscious Design: Wearable Computers

Rebecca Lankey, Heather MacLean and Andrea Sterdis, Green Design Institute

Introduction

As environmental issues become increasingly important to the public, product life cycle studies are being considered in many industries. The computer industry, in particular, has been under scrutiny for environmentally conscious design. Portable systems have their own unique issues, such as batteries, which are typically made of highly toxic materials. Wearable computers integrate sensors and displays, real-time software, telecommunication capabilities, and low-power electronics in a small, light-weight package, allowing users to integrate their information space with their work space. Since 1990, the Engineering Design Research Center (EDRC) at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has designed and built several generations of prototype computers in its undergraduate wearable computer design class. We have examined the wearable computers design process as a case study in environmentally conscious design.

Problem Statement

For wearable computers, the complexity of the technology used and the prototypical nature of their design and production levels provide unique limitations on assessing the environmental effects resulting from the production of these products for the mass market. This study discusses electronic product design for the environment and presents methods by which designers can evaluate the environmental implications of their design choices.

Approach

The wearable computers design process at Carnegie Mellon University's EDRC has been examined as a case study of a possible application of these design methods. To evaluate the wearable computers' design process, the three objectives of CMU's Green Design Initiative were implemented: reduce the use of non-renewable resources, reduce the use of renewable resources to sustainable levels, and decrease the discharge of toxic substances. The data used in this report were gathered from references in published papers, unpublished class reports, EDRC technical reports, and personal interviews.

Application:

A result of this study is the development of an Environmental Attributes Matrix and a Product Specification Sheet to be used during the design process. The Environmental Attributes Matrix lists qualitative questions for designers to consider, such as the nature of the materials to be used and the interaction of components and subsystems within the product. The Product Specification Sheet is designed to enhance documentation procedures for current and future designs of a product with a goal of using these specifications when considering environmental impact. This specification sheet includes both qualitative and quantitative information, such as product weight and dimensions, characteristics of the power source, amounts of materials used, and the fasteners used. One important benefit of these methods is that they require the designer to explicitly address environmental issues early in the design process. While the design tools and recommendations herein are specialized for wearable computers, they encompass attributes of many diverse electronic products, and the design methodology could be extended to those products as well.

For more information contact:

Mike Griffin
Phone: (412) 268-2299
Email: mwg@andrew.cmu.edu

Financial Support:

Green Design Initiative at Carnegie Mellon U.
IBM Environmental Research Program
National Science Foundation