Project Ara collaborator will give you $12,500 to recycle plastic better
Sure, the idea of keeping your phone up-to-date by swapping out parts is nice. But Dave Hakkens didn't invent Phonebloks (with tech Motorola borrowed for Project Ara) so you could have the latest electronics -- he was simply trying to reduce waste. He also wants more plastic recycled, and was recently awarded €10,000 ($12,500) to improve his small scale recycling machine, called "Precious Plastic." With Phonebloks, Hakkens doesn't have the time to make it happen personally, so he's willing to give that money to someone who does -- along with the use of his large workshop, tools and even lunch.
He's looking for someone who speaks English or Dutch, knows their way around a Raspberry Pi or Arduino, can do basic welding and cutting, and knows how to develop hardware and make CAD drawings. The goal is to build a machine that turns waste plastic into raw material or new products and create open-source plans so that anyone can build one.
Hakkens has already built version 1.0 of the machine, which earned him the initial funds. He wants veresion 2.0 to be modular, customizable and user friendly so that it can be deployed in communities without excessive training. If you're interested and fit the criteria (and are okay with living in Helmond in the southern Netherlands), now's the time to apply: the deadline is December 25th, 2014, with working commencing in January, 2015.
