Samsung Electronics is recycling its old Galaxy smartphones into healthcare equipment for under-served people in India, Morocco, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea.
Old phones will be remodeled as eyecare equipment to screen patients with eye diseases, the company said in a statement.
When the South Korea handset maker introduced the recycling program in 2017, it made a handheld camera to enable diagnosis of an internal organ.
The smartphone captured images, and the Galaxy device used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze images for ophthalmic diseases. It then connects to an app that evaluates patient’s data to suggest treatment, Samsung noted.
The electronics company made a portable retina camera using old smartphones, and used it on over 19,000 resident in Vietnam.
It now plans to extend the program to India, Morocco and Papua New Guinea. The company will also make smartphone-based portable colposcopes to screen for cervical cancer.
Samsung says the recycling initiative diverts e-waste from landfills to units making medical devices for under served communities. The Galaxy Upcycling program is part of it’s continued commitment to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Reference- Samsung Newsroom, The Hindu
