Project description
Robotics for efficient waste management
Waste management operations remain mostly manual in the EU, making it harder to fulfil the Waste Directive's requirements. One way to reverse this trend is to introduce robotic technology and object recognition. The EU-funded WEXOBOT project will develop a robotic waste sorting system that recognises several objects. The system is based on a pioneering technology that collects data on its environment, makes fast decisions and supports the market's quickest robot arm in uncertain environments. It reprogrammes general robots and transforms them into special-purpose robots. The project aims to prepare the system for commercialisation that will result in benefits for the EU and the waste management sector in particular.
Objective
The European waste management is not efficient enough to keep up with the targets of the Waste Directive and the waste sorting is not as profitable as it could be with robotizing and object recognition. We introduce the solution to these challenges with the Waste External Robot Control WEXOBOT, a robotic waste sorting system which has the potential to revolutionize waste sorting by replacing low-performing hazardous manual jobs with highly efficient and fast autonomous robotic pickers.
The major innovation is a unique self-learning system, which gathers data of its environment, makes smart decisions and moves a robot arm in an unpredictable environment faster than any other system on the market. We work with general purpose industrial robots and turn such mass-produced robots into special purpose robots.
Byte Motion aims to support as many robots and brands as possible making them faster and easier to reprogram. The technical solution combines the latest VR/AR solutions for human-like robotic movements with existing robotic technologies to create a new standard for telerobotic and telepresence. As of January 2019, we have developed Byte Motion’s beta version of AI for object recognition which now can recognize glass bottles, PET, Tetra Pak, batteries, and hopefully, it expands to other materials and shapes.
The commercialization of WEXOBOT will bring benefits to European society at large as well as to waste managing companies. There will be sustainable effects in economic, ecologic and social terms. For Byte Motion the innovation project will lead to a generation of €6.9 Million in turnover and creating 36 new job positions in a four-year perspective after market launch as well as creating IP rights from the outcome of the Project. The demand for the innovation and support of the proposed Project is presented through the 8 letters of support. The long-term goal of this project is to create a successful market introduction and growth path for Byte Motion’s innovation
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
725 91 Vaesteras
Sweden
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.