Samsung announced Galaxy upcycling a few years ago, but has been largely calm on that, save for some stage time at CES in January. Today the company announced that Upcycling at Home will open for beta today to users in the US, Korea and the UK
It’s a pretty novel program in a world where consumers are being asked to scrap their old gadgets every two to three years for something shiny and new. The program is designed to breathe new life into handsets that might otherwise be stowed away in a landfill or in a drawer.
Credit: Samsung
“We’re rethinking how we use existing resources, and we believe the key to upcycling is enabling solutions that add value to transform old technology into something new,” said VP Sung-Koo Kim in a press release related to the news . “We are committed to incorporating sustainable practices into our daily lives, and Galaxy Upcycling at Home enables users to begin our journey towards a more sustainable future.”
In particular, the products can be converted into smart home devices such as childcare and animal monitors.
This feature can be accessed through the SmartThings Labs feature in the Samsung SmartThings app. When enabled, the product can send alerts when it detects things like a crying baby or a barking dog. The recorded sound is sent as part of the alarm. Another function uses built-in sensors to turn on the lights in a room when it gets dark. The service optimizes the device battery so that it can be operated for a longer period of time while these inputs are recognized.