Application of circularity and eco-design principles to the development of wearable technologies (IoT)

In this project, we are interested in wearable technologies, such as smartwatches (Garmin, FitBit, Apple Watch, etc.), for collecting and analyzing personal data. These products are the result of a development process combining contributions from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronics, software and, more broadly, information and communications technologies. For comfort, design and compactness reasons, these products seek to maximize their level of integration at the hardware level. The search for a higher level of integration thus appears to be opposed to a circular logic. In particular, this higher level of integration results in a much greater density of components, which means that they cannot be repaired simply and cheaply, and makes disassembly, recyclability and reuse much more complex. Yet, in the engineering of these products, this has become the "new standard". There is a strong dichotomy between highly integrated engineering practices, on the one hand, and circular economy (CE) principles, on the other. This is the context for the proposed project.

This project aims to identify the methods and tools commonly discussed in the scientific literature for improving the "circularity" of wearable technologies, in order to propose a development strategy implementing the range of CE strategies. This strategy will then be applied to the development of a wearable.