DIAL is currently engaged in scoping a research project to look at Enhanced Repair of Domestic Appliances [ERODA].

This research seeks to understand how waste can be reduced and repair/refurbishment be increased through the provision of improved repair services. From a technical point of view, the research will seek to determine how [automated] repair services for domestic appliances can be cheap, simple, convenient and localised.

Rachel Cuthbert has been working in this area to establish a network of contacts across the industry and gain an understanding of the scale and complexity of the domain. To establish a forum for a broader conversation around this topic and to understand the research priorities for this she organised a ‘Repair Services for Domestic Appliances’ workshop in Cambridge in November 2015.

In attendance at this workshop were industrialists spanning government, standards, appliance manufacturers, commercial and volunteer repairers, council waste disposal representatives and academics. This workshop provided a valuable forum for discussion and a structured working session. The outcomes from the workshop propose key priority areas for taking this research forwards and funding will now be sought to enable this to be progressed.

Please contact rc443@cam.ac.uk for further information.