It's not hard to see that trash is a blight

Recycling is good, but are we doing it right?

In comes SORT-E to show you the way

He likes to sort trash, so here's what he'll say:

"Separate the plastics, papers, and cans
Into their bins, with careful hands

See me do it, it's easy as pie

Then it's your turn, just give it a try!"

Placing each item where it should be

It's no biggie when you have SORT-E

Recycling our waste, a small step to take
For a cleaner world, for nature's sake!

The Problem

While 94% of Americans support recycling, only 35% of the nearly 300 million tons of trash produced in the U.S. are recycled. The low rates of recycling can be attributed, among other social reasons, to a lack of knowledge on the subject. Recycling can be complex since different materials require different recycling methods; in addition, the varying recycling regulations for different areas makes it tougher to carry out effective recycling practices.

Prior Art

Current solutions on the market, such as industrial trash sorting machines in recycling facilities, lack ways to tackle the problem at the root which is the lack of education on the subject. Our solution is unique as it places the focus back on people by giving them a sense of urgency about the problem. SORT-E will encourage children to learn and care for the environment personally.

How SORT-E Works

Interactive Body

SORT-E greets children with a friendly face. To make the human-robot interaction feel meaningful, SORT-E actively interacts with children and their environment. SORT-E will follow his arm as he sorts, and he will make fun gestures when teaching about recycling. He is also equipped with speakers to communicate with children.

Conveyor System

To keep them safe, children first place their trash on a conveyor system that brings the trash close to SORT-E. The conveyor system is also equipped with a camera that identifies those trash items with a raspberry Pi.

Arm and Gripper

SORT-E has a 4-degree-of-freedom arm with a claw end effector. The arm and gripper allow SORT-E to grasp trash from the conveyor to the appropriate bin.