Recycled O2 smartphones turned into glove phones by artist

The possibilities of gadget recycling have been explored by artist Sean Miles who has created gloves that double as a mobile phone.

Using mobile components from handsets recycled through O2, Miles’ “Talk to the Hand” project implants them into vintage Mui Mui and Pineider gloves.

The gloves have a speaker unit in the thumb and a microphone in the little finger and connect to mobile phones using a Bluetooth connection.

“I hope that my Talk to the Hand project will get people to think again about the waste created by not recycling gadgets”, said Miles. “While these might not be for everyone, there are hundreds of other uses that old phones can be put to – from being reconditioned and used again to being mined for their components.”

The upcycling scheme, commissioned by O2 Recycle, is an attempt to showcase what can be done with old gadget components rather than just sending them to landfill sites.

“There’s a pressing need for all of us to look at old handsets – and all the gadgets that we move on from or upgrade each year, whether consoles or cameras – and think of them as a resource that we need to recycle responsibly rather than dispose of,” said head of O2 Recycle, Bill Eyres.“We’ve all got a bit of a use and dispose of mentality when it comes to gadgets we no longer have use for, but in actual fact we all have a role to play in extending the lives of the devices we use.”

“Talk to the Hand” is the second project undertaken by Miles and O2 Recycle, the first being “Walkie Talkies” that embedded old handset components into vintage footwear such as Hunter Wellies, Nike Air trainer and a Christian Louboutin high heel.

Miles is also working on getting mobile phone components into handbags in some fashion to stop people having to rummage around when the phone rings.

Next, read our pick of the best mobile phones of 2013.