PhoneBook
Metropolitan State University of Denver, USA
A 3D-printed electronic device that transforms a smartphone into a laptop computing experience.
Q&A with Judges
The judges and finalists will be engaging in Q&A here until April 10. Follow along on each finalist page, and register to find out which team will win the 2021 Longevity Design Challenge on April 13!
Question – what is the cost of a large 3D printer and how available are they in your target markets?
Question – It looks like the user’s palms might rest on the smartphone?
Thanks.
I would also like to know the expense of the 3d printer and how many would be needed to produce the needed inventory? Is the unit compatible with any phone type/size?
Thank you for your questions. While several factors influence the price range depending on the desired print quality, on average the cost of machines that are capable of quality prints for large objects such as the PhoneBook are in the range of $350 to $550 USD. Kijenzi featured in the video has Prusa printers which are based out of Prague, Czech Republic. Prusa printers are known for high price—performance ratio however, only come in a smaller format. Machines that were used for prototyping the PhoneBook are Chinese based, purchased in the United States. The local government in my target market… Read more »
Are there interface complexity? iOS vs Android? If BOM is $40, what would the retail cost be?
Thank you so much for recognizing the potential use cases. Android’s desktop system for smartphones was first publicly integrated in 2018. iOS has not developed a system that has a public release yet. The connector on iOS devices requires a mini or micro HDMI circuit board set up which I had developed in my prototypes however, for a more universal and modern applications of the PhoneBook USB-C circuits proved more beneficial for future device compatibility and lower in power usage, increasing product use lifetime. If an iOS application for smartphones to use the PhoneBook is to be made, the use… Read more »
Love this idea. Great insight on the penetration of mobile phones vs computers. 1 device – multiple use cases