Researchers from Osaka University in Japan have created a robot that will be able to sift through piles of garbage to locate, identify and sort different types of plastics into six categories. This robot consists of an arm and five lasers, which use sensors and beams to identify plastics that can be recycles. It stands at just over 5 feet 6 inches.
Division of rubbish is a very important industry, especially in Japan, as households are required to separate their waste into many different categories. Plastic recycling on the other hand can only be recycled in very limited amounts as their current system will only support certain types of plastic. This new robot has been aimed at trying to expand the amount of plastics that can be recycled.
There are various trials going on with this machine right now, and researchers are doing demonstrations which are taking place at stores located in both Osaka and Nara. There are also current plans to take this machine and create a smaller more commercialised version, which will have an estimated selling value of $17,000.
