Conflict Resources – you might have heard the term before, but what are they, and why do they matter? Conflict resources are also referred to as 3TG, the 3 T’s and G – Tin, Tungsten, Tantalum, and Gold; and not to forget, Cobalt. These raw materials are what make up the electronics we use today and, for the most part, the way they are obtained puts people’s lives in danger in a variety of ways.

In a world where emerging technologies are intertwining with our daily lives and becoming the norm, my research looks to why we are creating these technologies and how they might help us to become better humans, and fundamentally what it means when we adopt so many new devices. I explore the area of Conflict Resources and how the gathering of these elements impacts our world and what we can do to be more aware and more responsible in our consumption and creation.

“That was absolutely brilliant, informative, clear, insightful and holistic!”.

Noé Bhandari, Fabrication Specialist at SPACE10

This talk explores:

• An overview of the types of technology based products on the market now.
• Why there’s currently a focus on designing for interpersonal relations, the self, and long term goals.
• What is inside of our products.
• Where electronics come from, from mine to market.
• What is the “Conflict” in conflict resources?
• Legislation and regulation, what’s being done to help companies be more responsible.
• Initiatives from companies and grass roots movements alike to help alleviate the conflict.
• What we as consumers can do.
• What we as product developers and designers can do.

Keywords:

• Meaningful Devices
• Designing for Meaningfulness
• Conflict Resources
• The Internet of Things (IoT)
• Electronic Sourcing
• Responsible IoT
• Responsible Electronics infofurmanner.de
• Responsible Design, Production and Manufacturing

Format:

This talk is presented as either a shorter, 30 minute talk or a longer, 45 to 60 minute talk with room for discussion and debate.

This talk is provided in Keynote format, 4 x 3.

Themes:

This talk can be tailored towards an audience of:

• C-Level business developers, business owners, influencers, decision makers
• Designers
• Developers