Student designs cardboard computer case

The Recompute case uses corrugated cardboard to encourage air flow

A PhD student from Texas has designed a cardboard computer chassis that could be going into production in an effort to cut computer waste.

Brenden Macaluso designed the Recompute case as part of his graduate thesis at the University of Houston, and a technology start-up incubator is now looking to market the invention to major PC manufacturers.

Marc Nathan, head of entrepreneur development at the Houston Technology Center, told the Houston Chronicle that the incubator and Macaluso had been discussing the best way to market the cases. Initially they plan to sell them to computer hobbyists and environmentally minded enthusiasts.

"He is not just an inventor who came up with something cool. He is a designer who created something through a very specific thought process," said Nathan. " He has thought this through."

The case uses corrugated cardboard to encourage air flow and reduce heat build up. A fan keeps the interior cool, and the motherboard and power supply are separated to minimise heat.

The design of the case also minimises the number of parts needed to fix it together and take it apart for recycling at the end of its life.

"We already know that the computer will be thrown out, so I designed an object that does just that," Macaluso said. "If we were already reusing cases and replacing hardware (and software) on a mass scale, we would not have nearly the problems that we have now."

The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that over 80 per cent of computers in the US end up in landfill.