Scientists develop unique waste-sorting robot

Scientists have developed a unique waste-sorting robot capable of independently sorting waste, separating paper, sheet metal, plastic, and so on.

Advantages

Waste sorting is a complex, labour-intensive process that can pose a danger to human life and health. Consequently, specialists decided to attempt transferring this work to robots.

However, this was previously virtually impossible. The difficulty lies in the fact that mechanical machines could not distinguish between glass and cardboard. Specialists spent a long time trying to solve this problem.

Recently, they have achieved significant success in this area. A scientist created a robot equipped with special sensors located in the manipulator. This allows the device to identify the material of an object. The robot then sorts the waste accordingly.

The sensors determine not only the material but also measure the object's dimensions, its fragility, and its ability to bend freely, among other factors. The device can even detect the presence of metal in the waste. This was achieved by installing separate sensors that conduct electricity.

Robot features

The robotic manipulator is made from auxetic materials, which stretch well. The device is capable of performing the functions of both a right and a left hand. Moreover, the device's movements are much faster than those of any previously existing machines.

The robot's design does not require the use of air pumps to hold individual items.

However, the device's performance is currently far from ideal. Nevertheless, the accuracy of material recognition is quite high. On average, the indicator exceeds 80% for stationary items and 60% for products moving on a conveyor belt.

The robot also faces difficulties when sorting waste that people throw into bins. For example, a person might throw away a cardboard box containing a glass bottle inside. As a result, the robot finds it difficult to sort the items correctly. It cannot independently extract the container from the cardboard packaging.