What can Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics do to improve the recycling rate for large pieces of waste? This is the central question in the cooperation project “Smart Recycling” between the leading German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and the Institute for Energy and Circular Economy (IEKrW) at the University of Bremen. The project partners want to develop appropriate concepts by mid-December. Both technical and economic challenges are taken into account.&nbsp;Although the solutions are primarily intended for the circular economy, they should also be able to be used in other areas.&nbsp;Examples: disaster control, nature conservation through automated waste collection, sustainable agriculture, environmentally friendly mining, maintenance and care of infrastructures or Industry 4.0.&nbsp;In addition to the DFKI and the IEKrW, the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences and Nehlsen Stoffstrom GmbH &amp; Co. KG are involved in the project, which will run until December 15, 2020.&nbsp;The “Smart Recycling” project is funded by the Federal Environment Ministry within the funding priority “AI beacons for the environment, climate, nature and resources”. With its efficient Kl- and robotics-based solution, the "Smart Recycling" project supports, among other things, the goals set in the German Resource Efficiency Program to increase the recycling rate for municipal waste to over 65 percent, the recycling rate of plastic waste and the use of recycled building materials. A significant ecological benefit is expected from the more efficient recycling of large pieces of waste, especially in the construction industry: Of the around 412 million tons of waste in Germany, 220 million tons are construction and demolition waste (data from 2017, Federal Statistical Office).&nbsp;The sorting of waste plays a decisive role in increasing resource efficiency.&nbsp;This is where the Smart Recycling project comes in: the use of modern sensor technology, CL methods and robotics is intended to improve the sorting of waste and thus increase resource efficiency.&nbsp;The project will determine the use of the techniques mentioned and suggest appropriate approaches to increase efficiency.<h2>Background:</h2>The circular economy is about using products and raw materials for as long as possible. If that is no longer possible, raw materials are broken down into their raw materials and recycled. Automated separation of these substances is particularly efficient and therefore environmentally friendly. However, this separation is currently only possible for small pieces of waste or waste that has already been shredded, so-called flakes. Waste that is in large pieces, such as building rubble or bulky waste, must first be shredded for automated sorting. This is usually done manually or with manually operated technology and is therefore slow and cost-intensive. The recycling rate is correspondingly low, so that many valuable raw materials are disposed of together with residual waste or, at best, are recycled with little value.<hr>(Press release from the University of Bremen)

Without recycling processes, waste such as building rubble is processed further unsorted. Source: AdobeStock

What can Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics do to improve the recycling rate for large pieces of waste?

Artificial Intelligence And Robotics For A Sustainable Circular Economy

There is a growing trend of using robots to do the tasks that could harm humans. Here are six fascinating examples.<h2>1. Firefighters Depend on Robots to Assess Burning Buildings</h2>Smoke and flames can make it nearly impossible for even the most experienced firefighters to navigate once they&rsquo;re inside a building that&rsquo;s on fire. However, there&rsquo;s a recent development called the SmokeBot that crews can <a href="https://www.maketecheasier.com/smokebot-robot-fight-fires-firefighters/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">send into flaming structures</a> to monitor the progression of fires and the damage caused.Something that sets the SmokeBot apart from other fire-ready robots is that it creates interior maps firefighters can use later to find their way around the building. It accomplishes this map-making feat with a combination of attachments including a thermal camera and gas sensors.The U.S. Navy also has a firefighting robot that extinguishes flames on ships. That piece of equipment has arms that can open doors or use hoses to help fight and control the fire.Robots don&rsquo;t necessarily remove humans from the equation, but they can let firefighters know in greater detail what to expect. Then, it&rsquo;s easier for those professionals to prepare or call for more assistance when needed.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1574191863839-5b28e74785ba9.jpg">SmokeBot &ndash; a robot serving rescue units<h2>2. A Cow-Herding Robot Keeps Farm Workers Safer</h2>Cows are generally docile, but when farmers deal with thousands of them at once while herding them to various areas of a farm, it&rsquo;s not hard to imagine how things could go wrong.<a href="https://www.cargill.com/story/meet-the-cowboy-robot-thats-making-cattle-herding-safer" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Cargill recently unveiled</a> a &ldquo;robotic cowboy&rdquo; on wheels that waves plastic bags on its limbs to compel the cows to move. Humans control the robot with remotes as they stand on catwalks, but they can do so at a distance that keeps them more protected if issues arise.Cargill associates asserted that it&rsquo;s highly preferable to replace a piece of equipment if accidents happen instead of putting people in harm&rsquo;s way. The use of a robot to work with cattle makes a dangerous but necessary job safer.<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Aehth3w9h04?&feature=emb_title&wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" style="width: 1114px; height: 615px;"></iframe> 3. Robots Clean Up Nuclear SitesThe nuclear energy industry is full of dangers for humans, but it&rsquo;s frequently looking for ways to expose robots to the potential harm instead.Sellafield is a nuclear power plant in England that handles nuclear fuel reprocessing and nuclear decommissioning. There&rsquo;s one hot-spot known locally as &ldquo;D-Bay&rdquo; that started acting as a radioactive sludge depository in the 1970s. The sludge is a byproduct of decaying nuclear fuel and other debris &mdash; and Sellafield has the equivalent of <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/robots-tackle-sellafields-notorious-radioactive-hot-spot" rel="noopener" target="_blank">35 concrete mixer trucks&rsquo;</a> worth of it.After a decade of planning, officials at Sellafield and their partners were ready to start using robots that sucked up the dangerous material with arms mounted on overhead cranes. Another tool can attach to a crane and chop large pieces of debris into smaller chunks. Operators stay shielded behind a wall while manoeuvring the robots.The Shadow Robot Company also have a <a href="https://www.shadowrobot.com/wp-content/uploads/Introducing-the-Shadow-Telehand.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank">custom-made teleoperation product</a> which uses innovative technology to help transform work within radioactive environments via remote handling in alpha glove boxes. Their robot hand means operators can remotely handle materials in a glove box from afar at no risk to their well-being. They can even operate the Hand in their shirt sleeves at an office desk with full control over the robot&rsquo;s movements back at the cell.Robots are also <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/fukushima-robot-cleanup/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">helping with the cleanup process</a> at Fukushima, a nuclear plant in Japan that got devastated by an earthquake and tsunamis in 2011. One robot called the Sunfish helped find missing fuel inside a radioactive containment vessel. Several other robots couldn&rsquo;t handle the radiation, but the Sunfish is helping engineers learn how to build other robots to assist in dealing with the aftermath.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1574191702468-ezgif-6-e37770a42569.gif">Credit: Shadow Robot Company, internal demo of our teleoperation product <h2>4. Decreasing Welding Dangers With Specialized Robots</h2>Welding requires professionals to work with extremely hot temperatures and carry out precise tasks during their shifts. But statistics indicate that robotic welding makes up <a href="https://www.fairlawntool.com/blog/complete-guide-robotic-welding/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">29 percent of welding applications</a>. Spot welding is currently the most common use, but arc welding is catching up in popularity.Arc welding is a particularly good fit for robotics when it comes to safety. That&rsquo;s because it involves both chemical reactions and hot temperatures, both of which could be dangerous to humans.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1574191978370-wel.gif" style="width: 1042px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Besides, welding exposes humans to hazardous fumes. It can also cause a condition from ultraviolet light called ultraviolet keratitis. When operating welding robots, humans stay behind safety fences or interlocking doors. However, they&rsquo;re still needed during the process to inspect the robot&rsquo;s work and ensure the equipment works as expected.Many people nervously anticipate robots taking over their jobs. But this is an example of how robots could supplement our roles by making them less dangerous than before.<h2>5. Rescuing Victims of Snow-Related Disasters With Robots</h2>Snowfall is a common occurrence that can turn deadly &mdash; especially when avalanches happen. Researchers have spent years investigating ways to use robots for snow rescues, and they&rsquo;re coming up with continually improved methods.At the University of Bologna, <a href="https://www.unibo.it/en/notice-board/from-sherpa-to-airborne-the-new-generation-of-mountain-rescue-robot-drones" rel="noopener" target="_blank">a project is underway</a> to enhance robot-facilitated emergency assistance for victims trapped by snow. One method uses drones and radar to find people in distress. The team working on this initiative believes the results will save more lives and better equip rescuers to find people faster than they otherwise might.<h2>6. Relying on Robots for Pipeline and Fuel Tank Inspections</h2>Pipeline inspectors are instrumental in preventing oil spills, and they cope with claustrophobic environments and other job-related risks. But research indicates that even when pipeline checks happen, those assessments often fail to detect issues. In other cases, <a href="https://www.climatechangenews.com/2018/08/07/oil-pipeline-inspection-industry-going-wrong-surveys-fail-prevent-spills/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">problems do not get accurately reported</a>. These shortcomings have given rise to calls for improvements in pipeline inspection methodology and technology.Previous methods to inspect pipelines included sending pressurised water inside to test their strength or digging into the ground to carry out spot tests. But beginning a few years ago, a company called Diakont emerged as one of the first to <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-06-robots-oil.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">send robots inside pipelines</a> to have a look.The two arms on the robots have ultrasonic sensors that measure the circumference of a pipeline and assess structural integrity. Diakont also developed a robot for fuel storage tanks that keeps operators away from the volatile environment caused by the presence of flammable material. This robot doesn&rsquo;t require draining the containers first, and that advantage prevents up to two months of downtime where the tank remains out of operation while removing the fuel.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1574191609887-Diakont-Robot.jpg">Credit: CNBC.com, Diakont RobotIf you have questions, or feedback, feel free to leave them below in the comments.<hr><h2>Sponsored content</h2>This article was created in partnership with the Shadow Robot Company. If you are interested in sharing sponsored content on the Wevolver platform email us at richard [at] wevolver.com. Wevolver reaches more than 6 million young, professional engineers and engineering students every month. To learn more visit our &quot;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/marketing-solutions" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marketing Solutions</a>&quot; page.

The world is full of life-threatening jobs. There was a time when humans merely gritted their teeth, accepted the risk and trusted that the training they received would protect them from harm. However, there is a growing trend of using robots to do the tasks that could harm humans.

How robots are saving humans from doing dangerous jobs

This article is part of a series about the usage of robots in harsh environments, written by post-doctoral robotics researcher Matthew Nancekievill. Find the second article, on subsea environments,&nbsp;here.<hr>Lets face it, there are some jobs that we just don’t want to do, or CAN’T do that we will have to get robotic platforms to complete. This is especially true of harsh environments such as subsea, mining, space, arctic, often forgotten surgical robotics and nuclear decommissioning. In this article we are going to take a brief look at robotic platforms currently deployed within the nuclear industry, why they’re required and solutions that are still required for all you innovators out there. &nbsp;With decommissioning costing the UK £3billion/yr and estimated costs of £121 billion over the next 120 years, there is a requirement for increased efficiencies and decommissioning rates that robotics can provide.&nbsp;Hopefully this article acts as a summary of robotic solutions in nuclear decommissioning without being too much of an exhaustive list.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNTU5NjY4MDk3MDA3LUltYWdlIDIucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><h1>A look at the Nuclear Decommissioning Environment</h1>Decommissioning happens around us all the time, old buildings get torn down, coal power plants shutdown and vehicles get scrapped. The nuclear industry is no different with the reactors, storage facilities and processing elements all requiring decommissioning when they reach the end of their useful life.Hazardous substances can be found in all the above environments with asbestos, chemicals used during refinement, rare earth metals and oils that can’t be put into our main waste stream all examples of hazardous substances. The Nuclear industry faces all the same problems but adds one to the list, “nuclear waste”.I’ve always felt that nuclear gets a bad rap in the press, with all the pollutants and oil spills throughout the years created from coal power plants seemingly ignored when nuclear waste is mentioned. However, the effects of nuclear radiation on the body can be very unforgiving.To give you a flavour, researchers working with weak radioactive sources, such as myself, are allowed a total yearly dose of &lt;1 mSv attributed to radiation work, registered radiation workers in the UK &lt;20 mSv. This is a large safety factor to account for medically proven effects of radiation at radiation levels &gt;250 mSv with 1,000 mSv likely to kill you within a few days to a couple of weeks. (Average background radiation dose in the UK is approximately 2.7 mSv)Compare this to radiation doses in some of the most radioactive places on earth, such as the UK’s Sellafield Site or the Fukushima accident, where in the most extreme cases (no really, the most extreme cases, the majority is not like this) dose-rates of around 10,000 mSv.h-1 are possible (check-out <a href="http://irid.or.jp/en/research/20150420-2/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">these survey results</a> from the IRID and the shape-changing robot mentioned later.This is before you add in the difficulties of the physically constrained and tight working spaces, high temperatures, contaminated water used for cooling and, in the case of nuclear accidents such as Fukushima, an unknown physical layout “behind the door” due to explosions within the reactor buildings.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNTU5NjcyODIxNzYyLUZ1a3UuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><h1>Current Practices</h1>In less radiologically extreme environments, much of the work is carried out by human workers in air-fed suits with multiple layers of gloves, some of which could be lead-lined (lead-lined gloves) worn to avoid contamination and puncturing of the suit on sharp edges. This often means that with all the getting ready, decontamination at the end of the shift and the physical exertion required to operate in these suits, an 8-hour work shift could result in anywhere between 15 minutes to 2 hours of actual decommissioning with power tools cumbersome to use and movement awkward. Workers have been known to empty their boots at the end of their shift of all their sweat that has built up… Workers are, at the root of it, tasked with dismantling the facility. This means cleaning, chopping and moving all sorts of materials into the correct waste stream and then moving on to the next object or structure.<h2>Robotics in Nuclear</h2>It is clear that some of these repetitive tasks or highly radioactive areas lend themselves to the use of robotic platforms. There has been a large body of work conducted on developing solutions for just that. Aquatic robotic platforms for use within submerged nuclear waste storage tanks, robotic manipulators for laser cutting of structures, drone-based devices for site surveys and ground-based robots for automated warehouse characterisation and unknown environments.Examples of these are:The Forth AVEXIS, developed jointly by Forth Engineering and the University of Manchester. A submersible ROV designed to be deployed within the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo and fit through a 6” access port. More information within the video.<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OLvAQFz5wh8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.wevolver.com" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" style="width: 766px; height: 443px;" frameborder="0" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-7="true" id="626921597" title="Avexis ROV" data-gtm-yt-inspected-29="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-37="true"></iframe>The LaserSnake2, which combines a multi-jointed “snake-arm” manipulator with a powerful laser-cutter. Developed by OCRobotics, The Welding Institute, National Nuclear Laboratory, Laser Optical Engineering Ltd. And ULO Optics. It is designed to cut and reduce the size of objects and structures to fit in dedicated waste containers.<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hqOfRhJsaEQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.wevolver.com" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" style="width: 766px; height: 436px;" frameborder="0" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-7="true" id="439090068" title="LaserSnake2 - Laser cutting for nuclear decommissioning at Sellafield - a world first." data-gtm-yt-inspected-29="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-37="true"></iframe>Researchers from Bristol University have just recently flown a drone over the Chernobyl Red Forest highlighting the site survey capabilities of drones applicable to all nuclear sites.<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_Eto98XTm-4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.wevolver.com" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" style="width: 766px; height: 394px;" frameborder="0" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-7="true" id="334628213" title="YouTube video player" data-gtm-yt-inspected-29="true" data-gtm-yt-inspected-37="true"></iframe>Hitachi-GE have also developed a “shape-changing robot” to characterise the internals of Fukushima. Designed to be passed through small gaps in a long cylindrical shape, it is then capable of morphing into a “U” shape for stability. Equipped with a radiation tolerant camera and dosimeter, multiple robots were deployed with valuable data returned.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNTU5NjY4MzQ5NTkyLVNoYXBlLWNoYW5naW5nIElSSUQtSGl0YWNoaSByb2JvdCAtIDQ1MC5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">However, one of them got stuck, which leads me to my next point.<h1>The problem with Robots</h1>I love robots, and I believe that robotic systems HAVE to and WILL have a huge part to play in harsh environments, but there are still things that have so far left deployment of robotic systems on the fringes of use. These include, but are not limited to:<ul><li>Robots are dumb: When compared to a human assessing a situation. The Hitachi shape-changing robot fell foul of a common problem with robotic systems, it got caught in a hole in the grating it was driving on it wasn’t expecting and that could not be seen by the human operator with the robot not “smart” enough to avoid or raise a flag. Robots are only as smart as we make them!</li><li>Radiation effects: Robots readily survive longer than humans but there are still failures of the electronics in high dose areas.</li><li>Tether entanglement:&nbsp;Most robots (not including drones) are often required to be connected via tether. This is for safety, in-case the robot breaks, meaning it can be unceremoniously dragged out but causes issues with entanglement.</li><li>Robots require a skilled pilot: That skill-set is not common.</li><li>The industry isn’t ready: When things have been done a certain way for a long time, it is difficult to change that. Not to mention all the legal licensing issues and who takes responsibility when something goes wrong?! Media storms surrounding the ethics of robots taking jobs and becoming our future overlords do not help (thanks a lot Terminator).</li></ul><h1>In Conclusion</h1>There is a great body of work being completed within industry and research institutions developing bespoke solutions for specific problems and there have been many successful deployments and also many unsuccessful deployments, which is all part of innovation! Not included above but deserve a mention with regards to innovation and deployments to Brokk and Seabotix robotic systems that are often used daily.To really get consistent robotic platform deployments in nuclear decommissioning, further innovation improving the capabilities of robotic platforms is required as well as upskilling of the workforce and events showcasing the technology to industry. Communication is key and the continued development of systems by all the engineers out there.<hr>This article is part of a series about the usage of robots in harsh environments, written by post-doctoral robotics researcher Matthew Nancekievill. Find the second article, on subsea environments,&nbsp;here.

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Artificial Intelligence And Robotics For A Sustainable Circular Economy

How robots are saving humans from doing dangerous jobs

Robotics for Harsh Environments - Nuclear Decommissioning