Some stores have mobile phone recycling stations to drop off your old and worn out mobile phone which is then taken to a facility to be recycled. Nokia is looking to a new method that could be more cost effective. Through research done at the Nokia Research Center in conjunction with three universities in Finland, it is showcasing a prototype mobile phone that can be disassembled by applying heat which then separates the various components of the phone to make them easier to recycle. And for those of you worrying about your phone falling to pieces while sitting inside your hot car, don't worry. The 60C threshold for disassembly should be well above the average temperature of a car left in the hot sun all day. A piece from Nokia:

The idea is to disassemble a mobile phone by a heat-activated mechanism without any contact. By using a centralized heat source like laser heating, the shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator is activated, and the mobile phone covers are opened. The battery, display, printed wiring board (PWB) and mechanical parts are separated and can then be recycled in their material specific recycling processes. The required temperature for the disassembly is 60-150 ºC.

[via gizmodo]