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Young Man in China Surprises by Developing a Functional Foldable Phone from Scratch, Combining 3D Printing Technology with Reused Parts
While big companies spend billions to create foldable phones, a Chinese teenager managed to make his own model at home. Lan Bowen, 17 years old, used parts from old phones, a 3D printer, and a lot of creativity to assemble a device that really works. His project became popular on the internet and even caught the attention of a major phone manufacturer.
The Young Inventor
Lan Bowen is a first-year high school student in the city of Yichang, China. Since he was little, he has enjoyed observing phones and finding ways to improve them.
On February 16, Lan published a six-minute video on social media showing how he built his foldable phone. In the video, he appears assembling the device, explaining the challenges of the project, and testing its functionality.
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What drew the most attention was that, unlike the models already available on the market, Lan’s phone folds with the screen facing out. The post went viral and has already received over 5 million views.
In the video, Lan explained why he gave the device a curious name. “I call it the meal card machine because its length and width are similar to that of a cafeteria meal card when folded, though it is much thicker.”
A New Type of Foldable Phone
Lan noticed that the most common foldable phones function in two ways: they fold horizontally or fold inwards, protecting the screen. No model folded outwards. That’s when he decided to try something new.
With a 3D printer he bought last year for about 275 dollars (approximately R$ 1,618.65), he created the phone’s structure. For the internal parts, he used pieces from old family phones and bought others online.
The result was a device 16 mm thick, thicker than the models sold today, but it works well and was enough to showcase the young man’s talent.
The Challenges of the Project
Creating a functional phone wasn’t easy. One of the biggest problems Lan encountered was getting the touchscreen to work when the device was opened: “I found that the reason was that the screen was pushed out when open“.
He realized that when opening the phone, the screen was pushed out, causing it to not respond to touch. After several tests and some broken screens, he finally managed to solve the problem.
Despite the success of the project, Lan confirmed that there is still much to improve. “My smartphone is at a very primitive stage, with many deficiencies, but the good side is that it is capable of implementing all the functions of a normal phone,” he stated.
Success and Recognition
Lan’s project caught the attention of thousands of people. Many praised his creativity and effort.
One internet user commented: “I see in him a smaller version of Lei Jun, founder of Xiaomi.” Another highlighted Lan’s ability to explain his creations: “He not only crafts well, but also has a good expression ability and makes videos skillfully.”
The recognition didn’t come only from the public. According to the South China Morning Post, Vivo, one of the largest phone manufacturers in China, also commented on the young man’s video. “It’s great! Vivo expects even more wonderful work from you.”
Passion Since Childhood
Even with all this talent, Lan admits that he is not the best student in school. He says he has difficulties in most subjects, except for English and geography. But he has always enjoyed creating things with his own hands.
Since he was little, he has shown interest in military models and other inventions. His parents, a taxi driver and an insurance seller, have always supported him and encouraged his talent.
With information from ZME Science.
Bǎi zhì huán jiàng wèi zhōng guó fā míng zhě