Apple's 'Liam' robot takes apart your iPhone for recycling

Apple has come under fire for its use of conflict minerals in iPhones (so have many other device manufacturers, to be fair). Today at its "Loop You In" event, the company revealed how it aims to reduce its environmental impact. It comes by way of "Liam," a robot that disassembles old iPhones into their core components. The tungsten from the device's alert module will become a cutting tool, for example, while the silver contained therein is used for solar panels -- possibly including the ones powering the company's Thailand operations.

This is all in addition to using solar, wind and hydro power as much as possible to push toward an overall more sustainably powered company. When you consider that Tim Cook says there are a billion Apple devices in the world, and more being made every day, environmental responsibility at that scale is incredibly important.

Get all the news from today's iPhone event right here!