Dell announced a new design concept earlier this week called Concept Luna. The Luna is not an average laptop, but rather one that focuses on some aspects that brands usually don’t look at like the repairability and carbon footprint of the machine. This translates to a machine that is easy to take apart, repair and leaves behind a smaller dent on climate change.

The proof-of-concept laptop by Dell will be designed in a way such that users will not require glue solvents, for instance, to take out the keyboard and replace it. Users will also not need screwdrivers to open up the laptop. Components like the display panel will simply pop out after some easily removable keystones are taken out. [1]

Figure 1. Dell’s Luna laptop concept is all about repairability

Figure 1 shows developed in partnership with Intel, the new concept completely reimagines how a conventional laptop is designed and built, pairing a more efficient layout with materials that consume less energy to produce. On the components front, the motherboard itself is a whopping 75% smaller and uses 20% less components to manufacture. Everything else in the laptop is then rearranged around this central motherboard which sits near the top for extra cooling exposure, while its battery charging unit is placed even further away now to enable fan-less passive cooling that can reduce energy consumption. With specialized component fitting, the construction of the device will need 10 times fewer screws as well. [2]

In fact, Dell completely reconsidered the entire layout of Concept Luna, including attaching the new motherboard to sit beneath the top cover which results in a larger surface area for cooling. The design team also separated the motherboard from the battery, leading to additional thermal gains that negate the need for a fan. Overall system efficiency is also boosted while the new hydro power and stamped aluminum construction requires less energy to produce and leaves behind minimal scrap at its end of life. [3]

Obviously the new customer would know he or she is getting a laptop built with reused components, but Dell believes it won’t be an issue as parts such as the motherboard and CPU tend to be very durable once past their prime. That’s largely going to be the hardest part of Concept Luna—getting people to move from using and disposing of an entire laptop and instead shifting to a model of use, reuse, and reuse again until the individual component has lived its full lifetime before being easily recycled. [4]

References:

1. https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/14/22832895/dell-luna-sustainable-laptop-concept-repairability-recyclable-environment
2. https://hypebeast.com/2021/12/dell-concept-luna-repairable-sustainable-laptop-design
3. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-Concept-Luna-explores-how-laptops-in-the-near-future-can-become-more-efficient-repairable-and-recyclable-too.585373.0.html
4. https://www.pcworld.com/article/559373/dell-reveals-concept-luna-a-radically-compelling-vision-for-sustainable-laptops.html

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2022), Dell’s Luna laptop concept is all about repairability, pp. 125