As artificial intelligence continues to advance, smart sorting lines will become more and more popular. Machines working alongside humans to sort waste with greater accuracy and efficiency will result in more efficient and cost-effective processing of valuable materials.
By Taylor Cox
Technology advancement and industrial growth go hand in hand. There is always something new and exciting being introduced at a trade show or being installed in a new facility. A new iPhone, a faster car, the icloud and more. The waste industry has not escaped this phenomenon, which has led to some fantastic opportunities for those willing to ride the technological wave. The waste industry has grown and improved with technological advances and there have been great improvements in how effectively society processes waste. The constant evolution of the industry has led to the implementation of the most interesting and advanced technologies yet—Artificial Intelligence Robotics.
The Introduction of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence into the Waste Industry
The introduction of robotics to the waste industry started when companies began to use more advanced machinery to collect, sort, bale and process waste a number of years ago. Artificial intelligence (AI) has only recently been introduced, taking standard industrial robots and implementing programming that allows the machine to recognize an opportunity to perform a task and then act on that opportunity based on past experiences.
The simple reason artificial intelligence was paired with sorting robots is money. Zenrobotics (Helsinki, Finland) did not start out with the idea to revolutionize the waste industry alone, the company founders explored many different potential industries by asking the same question over and over to see where their technology would be the most effective. By researching different industries trying to discover where companies were losing money, the founders discovered recycling. Waste sorting on the line is a tough, dirty and dangerous job that can offer many challenges. When poised with the problem of picking large, oddly shaped material from a waste line, they knew that the waste industry could use artificial intelligence software to boost efficiency. Since their founding in 2007 Zenrobotics has placed robotic sorting machines, that use their technology across, the globe.
The robots used are the same machines used in factories all over the world; however it is really the artificial intelligence that makes their usage in the waste industry valuable. Other companies have followed a similar suit when it comes to different waste streams. The robots are already in place but with a little bit of tweaking and a huge software upgrade, these machines have been given a new life and a new mission.
Current Usages in the Industry
When it comes down to pairing AI with robotics, the most standard usage that the industry has seen has been in the C&D/Single Stream Recycling sector. The reason being that sorting these waste streams is a difficult job. The material is dirty, heavy and often poses a serious threat to the workers on the line. By introducing AI powered robots to the industry, C&D recycling plants can move their current pickers to safer, more advanced jobs working with the robots and improve their Quality Control. The robots scan the infeed material to identify what each piece is and its location/size relative to each other piece on the belt and then make a pick based on the programming installed and past experiences. Allowing the robots to pick the heavy, oddly shaped products off the line reduces the risks for the human sorters on the line and allows them to be more focused on quality control. In an industry where exposure to hazardous materials is a constant threat, allowing the robots to take the majority of the risk drastically reduces the potential for injury on the sorting line.
AI is being used with robots in the single-stream sector as a Quality Control agent whose “eyes” never stop searching for impurities. By having a machine that can recognize multiple materials that do not belong on the line and removing them, commodity purity will rise, leading to a greater return margin on the materials sorted. The machines never take a break, their sensors do not get tired and they do not need sick days. Whether it is an eight-hour shift or a 24-hour shift, the software does not stop working, resulting in higher quality product and less downtime for the plant.
In solid waste collection, AI is reducing the amount of time that drivers spend on the road. Everything from establishing the most efficient driving routes to dispatching can be handled by programs. Having an automated system that can track each vehicle in the fleet frees up time by taking the guessing out of dispatching. Much like the technology that transportation companies use, waste companies can monitor when and where a pickup or load drop off needs to occur and assign the task to the driver automatically. Once the job has been accomplished the driver notifies the system through a computer or tablet in the truck and is automatically assigned a new task based on the location and truck availability.
Upcoming Benefits of Robotics and AI
The best use for this combination of advancing robotics and AI is whatever really makes a system more efficient, productive and, ultimately, profitable. AI has the ability to process information any way it is programmed. If there is potential in the waste industry to increase efficiency or production by reducing the potential for human error or performance than there is potential for the technology to be used for that purpose.
Probably the best upcoming use for AI is going to be in the collections sector. Autonomous vehicles are quickly becoming a reality as governments continue to pass regulations and accept patents for self-driving vehicles. An autonomous waste collection vehicle would drastically reduce the amount of time drivers spend on the road and could eliminate the number of simple accidents that occur daily because of human error.
Food and organic waste will also see some inclusion of artificial intelligence when it comes to digesters. Artificial intelligence reacts to data in the same way a human brain reacts to experiences. It can recognize trends and then react or create an action plan based on the set parameters. In the case of anaerobic digestion, artificial intelligence might not necessarily be used to sort the material that is used, but to monitor and adjust the infeed to ensure that the proper amount of sugars, fats and proteins are introduced to keep the system operating at peak efficiency. By removing the potential of human errors and introducing an AI that can react in real time, companies can reduce the amount of time it takes to adjust their system, resulting in a more efficient and productive system.
The Next Steps
As AI continues to advance, smart sorting lines will become more and more popular. Machines working alongside humans to sort waste with greater accuracy and efficiency will result in more efficient and cost-effective processing of valuable materials. Robotics are also increasing in their ability to adapt to multiple sorting situations allowing for a greater reach within the waste industry.
Mobile sorting machinery is already in use in many operations; however, entire processing lines are not. Mobile sorting lines have the advantage of being able to travel to where they are needed most. Whether it is smaller landfills looking to increase their diversion rates or areas that have been impacted by natural disasters, mobile processing lines can provide quality-sorting machinery at a fraction of the cost of a new system.
Because AI can “think” about how to process waste, the way that these smart machines are handled will change. Companies that distribute intelligent sorting technologies may adapt to become more like a temp agency for the robots. Similar to a temp agency for human employees, these companies will loan out the machines for a price without selling the system to the customer. Operating in this fashion means that the companies will always be providing the most up-to-date software or parts for the system instead of explicitly selling you one machine that may not be the most efficient in a year or so.
The future of AI and robotics within waste industry really lies with education. Now more than ever, waste is a highly discussed topic among consumers and processors alike. Education about where our waste goes and how it is processed is now taught in many schools around the world. Higher education institutions are increasing interest on fields of study that focus on food waste and how to efficiently turn our waste into energy. As artificial intelligence continues to be studied there will constantly be a new thought on how to make each process of the waste industry more efficient than even before.
Taylor Cox is the Marketing Manager for Plexus Recycling Technologies (Westminster, CO). He graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo June of 2016 with a B.S. in Agricultural Business. Taylor has been involved in the waste industry for the last six years and took his position at Plexus in March 2017. He can be reached at (720) 890-9090 or via e-mail at [email protected].