Upcycled Technology

DIY science projects using old tech to create new zombie tech—an eco-friendly, fantastic way to learn about today's technology.

 


We all have a drawer or closet full of old discarded tech just sitting around, gathering dust. Memories of a bygone technological era that have been replaced by newer, shiner, smarter devices. What can you do with them? Most of us don't even know how to properly dispose of them. If only there was a way to save them from their untimely fate.


 


Well empty out that drawer and grab a screwdriver because the time has come to bring these old devices back from the grave! Old technology may no longer be useful, but it isn't useless. Hidden inside often-discarded devices is a treasure trove of motors, magnets, screens, and other parts just waiting for a chance to be upcycled! And this type of "upcycling" doesn't mean turning an old CD into a coaster, it means something a little more hardcore, like . . .


· How to make a great Wi-Fi security camera with an old cell phone


· How to make a basic 3D printer out of old computer disk drives


· What can be made with the rare-earth magnets inside old hard drives or the reusable LCD screens in old phones


· And much more


 

Fans of Popular Science, Smithsonian's Maker Lab, and The Big Book of Makerspace Projects will love Upcycled Technology.