At the NTI "Wireless Communication Technologies and Internet of Things" based at Skoltech, an innovative smart separator has been developed that can extract plastic, glass, and paper from Russian household waste. This was reported by the press service of the NTI Project Support Fund.
The developed prototype of a smart sorting machine can replace 30 specialists. The optical separator is capable of extracting an average of 10 objects per second. It includes a 2-meter wide accelerating conveyor. Waste moves along it at a speed of 3 meters per second.
The separator not only recognizes the shape and color of objects but also determines their material with 90% accuracy thanks to a hyperspectral infrared camera. Currently, it works with 12 classes of waste (cardboard, glass, films, and various types of plastic).
The "brain" of the separator is a computer vision system for identifying useful fractions in one second. After analysis, these fractions are shot with air into a separate compartment at the end of the conveyor. A method for recognizing labels and brands on objects has also been developed, which improves sorting accuracy and statistical accounting.
This year, the NTI Competence Center plans to conduct a pilot launch of the separator at one of the recycling plants in Russia, which could significantly increase the efficiency of waste recycling in the country.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that expensive anhydrite was created from waste in Moscow.
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