APPLE HAS A NEW TEAMMATE THAT RECYCLES IPHONES

Ahead of Earth Day, Apple has debuted a new robot by the name of Daisy that can take iPhones apart in order to recover valuable materials that can be re-used elsewhere.

Daisy the robot is a successor to Liam, another recycling robot made by Apple that was revealed in 2016. In fact, Daisy was created with some of Liam's recycled-parts, making it a recycled robot that recycles iPhones. Daisy is capable of taking apart nine different versions of the iPhone, and it can disassemble 200 iPhones in one hour.

That is considerably fewer than Liam, which could disassemble 300 handsets over the course of six minutes. However, Daisy handles nine different models; Liam only handled the iPhone 6.

Daisy requires no change in the tools or downtime while it switches between versions. Daisy starts off by scanning the phone to work out the make and model so that it knows the precise amount, as well as layout, of the components inside.

Using a range of attachments and suction cups, the highly dexterous robot can then take the step to disassemble the phone with great precision, separating the various parts and metals, most of which can be used again.

Apple has also announced a temporary program called GiveBack, where customers can turn in devices in-store or through Apple.com to be recycled. For every device received from now until April 30th, Apple will make a donation to Conservation International. Eligible devices will still receive an in-store or gift card credit.