Recycling Robots

Abstract

Robots have functioned for years on assembly lines, such as in automotive plants, where they perform the same task repetitively. This article explores how companies are coupling robotics with artificial intelligence in order to allow them to make the kinds of judgements needed in sorting recyclables. It isn’t the kind of high-profile task normally associated with machine learning, such as driving automobiles or finding cancerous growths in medical scans, but it could save recycling companies money.