14 DAY TRIAL // Finish company ZenRobotics Ltd. has recently introduced the world to a state-of-the-art robot that promises to make it easier to recycle construction waste.
On its website, the company details that the robotic waste-sorting system, dubbed the ZenRobotics Recycler, is currently able to pick and choose metal, wood and stone fragments from waste that comes its way via a conveyor belt.
None of these materials has to end up in landfill when a building is demolished, meaning that they can either be reused by folks in the construction industry or simply made to serve some other purpose.
“ZenRobotics Recycler uses multiple sensors (visible spectrum cameras, NIR, 3D laser scanners, haptic sensors etc.) to create an accurate real-time analysis of the waste stream being currently processed,” the company writes on its website.
“Based on the analysis, the system makes autonomous decisions on what objects to pick and how. Welcome to robotic future!” it further explains. Earth 911 reports that, in its current form, the ZenRobotics Recycler can process an impressive 60,000 tons of construction and demolition waste on a yearly basis.
On average, it can pull up to 12,000 tons of reusable raw materials from this ginormous pile of trash.
The same source tells us that, despite all the heavy work it does, the robotic waste-sorting system is surprisingly energy efficient. Thus, its manufacturers estimate that keeping it online and letting it do its job for a full hour only costs about $1.36 (€0.99).
ZenRobotics Ltd. promises that, in the future, it will further improve on the robotic system's efficiency in terms of identified recyclable materials in construction and demolition waste, meaning that the ZenRobotics recycler will be able to recover more than just metal, wood and stone fragments.
“The system is constantly improved: When it learns to pick new materials, customers can buy the new ability as an upgrade!” the company says.
Presently, the United States is estimated to produce about 325 million tons of construction and demolition waste annually. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, is said to produce about 120 million tons. Needless to say, it would be great if at least part of this waste would be recovered and put to better use instead of being sent to landfills.