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RAZER EDEN

Sustainable Gaming Mouse & System

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Electronic devices contain hazardous materials like mercury, lead, silver, and flame-retardants making them dangerous to leave to waste. However, recycling these components is just as dangerous and even more expensive. As a means of safety and saving money, in 2019,

we set a Worldwide record generating 48.6 million tons of e-waste. 

A SINKING SHIP

For visual learners, our 2019 e-waste output weighed the equivalent of 350 cruise ships. Today, it's estimated to be around 375 cruise ships, or 52.1 million tons of e-waste. 

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MARGINS OVER MORALITY

It's easy to see how consumer electronics to have one of the most dangerous and out of control life cycles of any product in the world today. This is not only do to the lack of recycling either. Consumer electronic companies make most of their money by selling products, not components. Companies often shorten or limit their own products lifespans to keep selling new ones creating a very immoral and

wasteful business strategy known as planned obsolescence.

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MUTUAL RESPECT

However, we can not blame this entirely on the companies. Our society is rampant with dysfunctional consumerism. As consumers, we should demand more respect from whatever company we are supporting by purchasing their product. After all, these same companies possess the technology to offer logical, ethical, and

simple repair solutions, but focus on growing their profit margins. 

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OBJECTIVE

The goal of this project is to change the way we think about our consumer electronics. We will do this through the lens of a computer mouse. When we buy a peripheral to use with our computers, we subconsciously know that it will not be the last time purchasing one. We understand it will break, the technology with become outdated, or in some cases just decide it is time for another one.

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When a mouse is broken or starts to fail due to exceeding a components life span, users are left with little to no choice of what to do. Currently there is no option for easily repairing a computer mouse.

BREAKING POINT

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Often it is as simple as throwing your mouse away and ordering a new one. Or if you mouse is under warranty, which usually last between 2 and 3 years, the place you purchased it from may

give you a new one at a discounted rate.

TO THE DUMP

ANTHING BUT SUSTAINABLE

Mice shells are primarily made of ABS. ABS is a relatively archaic polymer that is used for its extreme toughness, rigidity, and heat resistance. However, mice tend to see easy use, apart from an accidental drop from desk height. This makes the excessive lifespan of ABS a glaring issue. There are many materials that better match the lifespan of a computer mouse, it’s just a matter of finding the right one.

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LIFE CYCLES

Some components wear out faster than others. When it’s time to replace your mouse, the only marketed option is to buy another. Why is there no easy option to replace just your right click switch? Or just your scroll wheel sensor? A mouse that is built to be repaired or have components replaced could also welcome advances in technology and be able to adapt to new hardware and software.

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FIXATION

Soldering is an easy way to make sure an electric current gets from point A to point B, securely. However, It creates a certain permanence. To move something that has been soldered in place, you must heat up the solder again, then reapply it. While this isn’t particularly hard, it is extremely inconvenient for anyone trying to simply replace or change a switch on a PCB (printed circuit board).

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What can we do to make the life cycle of a computer mouse more sustainably responsible?

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MEET THE USER

Our user is someone who grew up in the world of technology, gaining a passion for it at a young age. They spend lots of time on their computer both working and playing video games, often getting 8 hours of screen time every day. They are also someone who uses sustainable products where they can, actively trying to reduce their carbon footprint.

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BRAND ALIGNMENT

Out of the large performance peripheral manufactures, Razer immediately stood out when researching their company goals, values, and initiatives. 

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RAZER’S PLEDGE

“We are acutely aware of the impact that manufacturing and production has on the environment. Therefore, it is imperative to observe how each part of our product design and manufacturing impacts the environment, in order to engage the necessary actions to encourage environmentally sound industrial processes, and responsible consumption and

production for the environment amongst our fans, users and partners.”

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RESPONSIBLE MANUFACTURING

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MATERIAL RECYCLING

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RESPONSIBLE DESIGN

“Razer will pledge to use recycled

or recyclable materials for all our products by 2030. This includes incorporating PCR plastic in our hardware and adhering to

an eco-friendly product design.”

“By 2025, Razer will enable consumer disposal and recycling of Razer products through collaboration with global distributors, retailers and e-tailers. Razer also commits to sharing and communicating the carbon impact of our products by 2022.”

“Razer remains committed to ensure that all our contract manufacturers and partners adhere to the best industry standards

and practices, as validated through

established certification bodies.”

BRAND AESTHETIC

Razer combines sharp, chamfered edges with sleek, elegant curvature. Their main colors are black, white, and green. However, they produce lots of special edition mice in different colorways. The main focus of brand alignment will be with form.

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THE SPEARHEAD

This mouse will kick start Razer’s product line toward their goals of sustainability. It will bring their company ideologies to the consumer’s eye, as they do not currently represent these goals in their line.

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EXPLORING FORM

Making full scale models out of clay allowed for rapid form prototyping. In turn, I was able to have some of my peers with different hand sizes test the forms to narrow

down options. The shape of the mouse needs to be comfortable to

as many different hand sizes and grips as possible.

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BIOMIMICRY

In light of being sustainable, this product should look like it can return to nature at the end of its life. Nature provided a great source of inspiration for some of the different components that make up this mouse including texturing, the scroll wheel, symmetry and transparency.

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EXPLORATION

Here we can see some of the ways biomimicry inspired different parts of the product. Gecko feet provide ample texturing for the sides of the mouse, since we will not be using any rubberized material. You can also see some mechanical exploration needed to make the pieces fit together and function properly.

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MATERIALITY

One of my main gripes with mice is the material they are made. Instead of standard ABS, this mouse will be made of NonOilen, a new fully recyclable material from Fillamentum. It can be printed using any FDM style printer and can be recycled in an industrial composter in 90 days, but won’t wear down from heavy use. It is slightly more flexible than ABS and safe for skin contact.

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TEST PRINTS

Once materials arrived, early CAD models were printed to make sure the dimensions were correct. The left model represents a size and shape test to make sure the CAD model was comparable to the initial clay model. On the right you can see a test

print which made sure the PCB would fit into the model support structure.

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CMF

Getting closer to the final form, it was time to experiment with colors. Since this mouse is intended to lead Razer in a sustainability oriented direction, the main colorway would

be inspired by other sustainable products. As an homage to the early gaming

systems our user grew up with, the bottom shell will be translucent.

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PROOF OF CONCEPT

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The first prototype was printed to test the function of buttons, strength of the support structure, and tolerances. After some sanding, the pieces were able to be

screwed together with the internals creating a functional prototype.

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GETTING A GRIP

The straight cuts on the side of the mouse to provide grip actually made the mouse prone to slipping against vertical forces. In order to combat this we can look back at biomimicry, using textures found in nature. The touch points on the mouse

are emphasized to the eye by the dynamic density of the textures.

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REVISIONS

The second round of prints had both minor and major changes. The more notable changes include the new texture design mimicking a geckos

foot, adding more structure to the rear of the support skeleton, and

increasing the logo size for better readability. 

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SECURING SWITCHES

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Instead of using regular pins and solder, the switches in the mouse will use miniature banana plugs to secure them into the PCB. Banana plugs are commonly used to connect wires to speakers and amplifiers. These plugs are designed to be larger in diameter than the socket they go into. As they are plugged in, the pins diameter is compressed. This creates extra friction once plugged in. This not only secures the switches in place, but completes the circuit from the switch to the PCB.

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DIAGNOSTIC INTERFACE

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Along with easily removable switches, a user interface was designed stemming from Razer’s already existing software, Razer Synapse. The interface walks users through a diagnostic program to address any possible issues with the mouse or its parts. The UI also provides its users with a platform to order compatible components and instructions to guide the user in replacing parts.

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Overnight shipping is available for replacement parts or upgrades through Razer's online store. This allows  users to get back to what they do best.

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Unobstructed screw holes make for an easy tear down when replacing or upgrading internal components. Most mice have these holes covered by skates.

Clocking in at just 68 grams, EDEN ensures users a comfortable and competitive experience. The average performance mouse weights 80 to 100 grams.

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Ceramic skates allow EDEN to glide over any surface faster and last longer than PTFE or ABS feet.
Ceramic can also be safely recycled.

Batteries add more weight, complicate the tear down process, and are terrible for the environment.
EDEN uses a practical USB 3.0 cable.

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AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT

FINAL DIRECTION

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Most consumer electronics companies these days
offer warranties for customers ranging anywhere from one
to three years. Currently, this means providing the customer
with an entirely new product free of charge, usually sight unseen.

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With this new system a warranty could cover the component
or part a user needs,
rather than an entire mouse. This would
save Razer enormous amounts of money, and keep so
many half broken mice out of our landfills. 

PAINTING THE PICTURE

Once all the pieces for the three final prototypes had been printed, lightly sanded and primed it was time to paint. The models were painted with an airbrush and finished with a clear coat so the finishes would last through DAAPWORKS.

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FINAL PROTOTYPES

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DAAPWORKS DISPLAY

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For DAAPWORKS 2022 we were required to create posters and a display to show our process, ideation, and final direction. Since the objective of this project was to make a system as well as working prototypes, an important part of the display was to showcase these physical prototypes in a way that guests and critiques could interact with them. 

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