Approximately 30% of items placed in recycling bins are not actually recyclable, this results in an overwhelmingly large amount of recyclables lost every year. For this project, my team and I attempted to combat this issue by creating an automated recycling sorting system that utilized two different robots, four different sorting bins, and six different types of recycled containers ready to be sorted. I worked on the computational aspect of our project, meaning that I was in charge of programming the robots to sort the containers. Our solution was coded in python on my personal Raspberry Pi which was connected to the simulation software on my laptop.
The code on the raspberry pi running on the left as we simulate our project on the right.
Collaboration! 😄
The general workflow of our programming started with dispensing a random container at the sorting station. The robotic arm would pick it up, determine its weight, and place up to three matching containers onto the hopper of the transfer robot. The transfer bot used the weight of the containers to determine which sorting bin it needed it to go to. Containers made of paper, plastic, and metal would be sorted in separate bins, and plastic and paper containers which exceeded the weight threshold were determined to be too dirty for recycling and sent to the garbage bin.
The transfer robot used a line following algorithm to follow a pre-determined path until it reached the right bin. We utilized a color sensor and an ultrasonic sensor to determine the correct bin for the robot to stop at. Once the containers were unloaded, the robot followed the line until it reached the home position. The cycle continues indefinitely until the program is terminated.
Flowchart of our final code.
Super proud of our final product! 😎
Super proud of our final product! 😎