The recycling industry is struggling under tight profit margins, changing waste policies, and fast evolving waste market regulations. One notable issue is processing the highly contaminated single-stream recycling waste generated by the world’s growing population. This project contributes to the long-term goal of developing a waste-sorting robot to efficiently sort single-stream recyclables. We designed a robotic recycling test bed that consists of a robotic arm, an actuated X-Z Cartesian platform, and a modular control system. We also developed a three-jaw gripper designed for effective cardboard picking from a mixed waste stream. Such outcomes provide the main architecture for establishing a robotic waste sorting experimental setup at WPI.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Fischler, Mikayla A.
• Kan, Arianna
• Heavey, Kyle

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-051720-235725

Advisor

• Calli, Berk

Year

• 2020

Date created

• 2020-05-17

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Interdisciplinary
• Robotics Engineering

Rights statement

• In Copyright