Challenges, opportunities, and Wisematic’s role in the future of smart device refurbishment. The rapid expansion of the global secondary market for consumer electronics has established refurbishment as a central component of the circular economy. In Europe, where sustainability, resource efficiency, and carbon reduction are high political priorities, the refurbishment of smartphones and other smart devices is increasingly recognised as a strategic industry with high importance and long-term growth possibilities. This field sits at the intersection of several technological and operational disciplines: flexible robotics, machine vision, artificial intelligence (AI), reverse logistics, and materials circularity. Refurbishment automation is not merely an extension of traditional manufacturing automation. It represents a distinct discipline with high focus on flexibility and adaptation—it must handle high variation, uncertain conditions, device-specific requirements, and rapidly evolving consumer technologies. Unlike industrial production lines optimised for predictable, uniform inputs, refurbishment facilities encounter a near infinite mix of device types, age profiles, physical conditions, and software states. This positions refurbishment automation among the most technically demanding automation domains. At the same time, the societal and environmental stakes …