Concept of a Robotic System for Autonomous Coarse Waste Recycling

The recycling of coarse waste such as construction and demolition waste (CDW), bulky waste, etc., is a process that is currently performed mechanically and manually. Unlike packaging waste, commercial waste and the like, which is usually cut or shredded into small pieces and then automatically separated and sorted on conveyor belt-based systems, coarse waste is separated by specialized personnel using wheel loaders, cranes or excavators. This paper presents the concept of a robotic system designed to autonomously separate recyclable coarse materials from bulky waste, demolition and construction waste, etc. The proposed solution explicitly uses existing heavy equipment (e.g., an excavator currently in use on-site) rather than developing a robot from scratch. A particular focus is set on the sensory system options used to identify and classify waste objects.