Ergonomic TOUCH WOOD prototype
NTT DoCoMo, Sharp, Olympus and the reforestation project “more trees” have partnered to create these gorgeous TOUCH WOOD concept phones, which are encased in cypress wood.
TOUCH WOOD SH-04A prototype
A reforestation project championing the use of wood in consumer electronics might seem a little odd, but the wood is generated by forest thinning operations that are intended to strengthen over-grown forests. This thinned wood has limited commercial applications, and finding new applications like the TOUCH WOOD concept will hopefully ease demand on other wood resources.
A 3D compression molding technique developed by Olympus leaves the cypress wood shiny, durable, and resistant to water, insects and mildew. No artificial colors or paints are used, which preserves the unique patterns of each piece, and the aroma of the wood.
The phones will be on show in the first half of October at ITU Telecom World 2009 and CEATEC JAPAN 2009.
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2 Comments
It’s so good to see a large electronics company recognizing the environmental benefits of using wood rather than plastic or metal. I’ve always thought the world would eventually come to realize that wise use of sustainably grown wood in our everyday lives is about as green as you can get.
oh great thats the trees screwed then!!!!
cough cough
if everyone had a wooden phone that be 5 billion phones
at say 500million tons of wood
bye bye rain forest !!