It’s Kuhl To Recycle: Recycling With Robots
Artificial Intelligence Is A Game-Changer
By Mark Kuhl
For the GPHN
Sorting recyclables from our Purple bin is a huge challenge that is addressed by machines and humans.
People make up for machine’s deficiencies, but working in a material recovery facility (MRF) is often described as dull, dirty, and dangerous — hence yielding high labor turnover. That’s why robots are being deployed to help sort recyclables. They don’t mind the monotony, the noise, dust and occasional sharp objects. Nor do they mind the grime.
But a robot is only as smart as its algorithm. This is where Artificial Intelligence comes in. Many robots, including those produced here in Colorado by Amp Robotics, are taught how to differentiate materials that are speeding by on a conveyor belt. The quality of this “machine knowledge” determines the accuracy of their sorting skills. There are minimal human inputs to set the robot on the right track. The robot continues to hone its material identification skills through repetitive “machine learning” and sharing that data via a neural network of hundreds of other robots across the world doing the same job.
This is one AI application we should be happy to have.
Mark Kuhl is an environmental advocate who lives in Park Hill with his family. His handy tips and news about recycling household items appear every month in these pages. A directory of his past columns for recycling everything from paint to Styrofoam to shoes is at greaterparkhill.org/sustainability/recycling-directory/.