Apple's new recycling robot can disassemble 200 iPhones in a single hour

Just in time for Earth Day, Apple has unveiled a new recycling robot -- and it can disassemble 200 iPhones in a single hour. Daisy can successfully extract parts from nine types of iPhones -- and for every 100,000 devices it can salvage 1,900 kg of aluminum, 770 kg of cobalt, 710 kg of copper and 11 kg of rare earth elements. The robot represents a major step forward in Apple's mission to someday build its devices entirely from recycled materials. "We created Daisy to have a smaller footprint and the capability to disassemble multiple models of iPhones with higher variation compared to Liam" -- an earlier iteration of the company's recycling robotics -- Apple said in its 2018 Environmental Responsibility Report. Ultimately, Apple hopes to develop a closed-loop production system in which every reusable part of older devices is utilized in new ones.