Product designer Lyon France expert in edtech prototype CEA

Making WEEE recovery a reality

01.Brief

CEA

Product design

User research

UXUI Design

To capture critical materials in WEEE, CEA List has developed RecyX, an X-ray sorting technology. Entreautre has designed an interactive and engaging demonstrator, capable of convincing industrial decision-makers during the List Tech Days to integrate this technology on a large scale in the world of tomorrow.

Clarifying complex technology

The agency's designers structured the experience to make the technology accessible while maintaining the scientific precision expected by the researchers. From the very first discussions with the engineers, one thing became clear: the initial version, too technical and inaccessible, could not be presented to the public. It was necessary to create a unique device combining experimental design, scientific rigor, and educational effectiveness. The final demonstrator is based on a hybrid design combining two dimensions:

Physical : manipulation of real electronic components
Digital : interactive interface visualizing, using X-rays, the composition of materials and their recovery potential

Product designer Lyon France expert in edtech sketch

Achieved in four months flat

The agency's designers collaborated closely with CEA engineers to align formal and functional choices with the project's scientific objectives. This dynamic enabled the effective integration of the physical and digital dimensions of the system.

The project was completed within a tight deadline, with seamless coordination between researchers, designers, developers, and mechanical engineers. Key steps :

Definition of the message and the appropriate level of technicality
Design of a simple and structuring user scenario
Parallel development of the digital interface and the physical object
Manufacturing, final integration and validation with CEA teams

An interactive, activatable support

This project shows how a design agency can transform high-level technical discourse into a tangible and intelligible experience, thanks to the involvement of designers from the earliest stages.

Thanks to this device:

The CEA List can now concretely present its progress in the recovery of WEEE.
The object, designed from the outset as an immersive device with strategic aims, allows dialogue to be initiated with manufacturers.
Le discours sur la souveraineté industrielle européenne devient plus concretThe discourse on European industrial sovereignty is becoming more concrete

Key success factors

The role of designers in technical mediation was central to adjusting the level of reading of the device to the target audiences.

Complementary expertise: product design, UX/UI, engineering, mediation
Alignment with fundamental issues: ecological transition, industrial autonomy, strategic metals
Quality of collaboration: agile, iterative approach, anchored in an impact logic

Result

This project embodies cutting‑edge technology through a simple, readable, and engaging object. It is a continuation of Entreautre's work on WEEE, which began in his design research project.