Earth Day: Samsung unveils solar-powered remote controls, upcycled TVs
MANILA, Philippines — While tech giant Samsung continues to expand their product line, each with even more impressive features to cater better to users, the company has not lost sight finding ways that are both sustainable and helpful to individuals of all kinds.
At their 2022 Visual Display Virtual Forum where they showcased their TV and AV line-up for the year, the company also highlighted their commitment to the environment and "a better future for all."
Beginning this year, the brand's boxes will now be eco-packages specifically designed to be recycled, cutting down on ink by 90%, and discontinuing the use of staples — these will allow recycling centers or individuals at home to better repurpose boxes.
Related: Earth Day enjoins Filipinos to combat climate change
The 2022 line will also have SolarCell Remotes, which is said to be 88% more efficient than its 2020 models as they are battery-free and can be charged by either sunlight or ambient lighting inside a room.
Additionally the SolarCell Remotes are made out of recycled resin, material used also in the brand's televisions and monitors, and plastic recovered from coastal areas.
For the second consecutive year, the brand's Neo QLED 8K televisions have achieved a Carbon Trust "Reducing CO2" label, showing how the company is continuing to find efforts to lessen its carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emission.
Accessibility even for people with disability
The company has made it a priority to make their own screens accessible to all individuals, aware that some people do not perceive content the same way as others do.
It began including features for reduced, visual, and audible barriers as early as 2014 with "Enlarge," "High Contrast," and "Voice Guide" features.
It has expanded from three to 17 features, including "Color Inversion," "Grayscale," "Sign Language Zoom," and "Separate Closed Caption."
For 2022, the brand revamped closed captioning with a "Auto Caption Position" feature so that closed captions do not get in the way of details showed on screen. They also created their own Sign Language Avatar to help users navigate the use of their products more easily.
These new features were achieved after years-long partnerships with companies like the Royal National Institute of Blind People, the Siloam Center for the Blind, HandicapZero, and Shepherd Center to develop more inclusive technology.
The Korea Association of the Deaf was one of the organizations working with Samsung for the creation of the "Sign Language Avatar" feature, with Vice President Che Tae Ki expressing his pleasure in seeing an increasing number of functions for everyday devices.
Fundación ONCE's Accessibility and Innovation Director Jesús Hernández Galán said he's certain these developments will have a global impact and will lead to an improved quality of life for users.
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