AI Recycling Automation
Byte Motion builds AI vision and robotics systems for recycling plants and waste operators that need safer sorting, better recovery rates, and more reliable throughput across unpredictable waste streams.
Our recycling automation work spans hazardous battery removal, waste bag identification, robot-guided bag opening, and human-assisted vision systems for mixed municipal waste — unstructured, variable environments where traditional rule-based vision cannot operate reliably.
Challenges we solve
- Waste streams are visually inconsistent, high-volume, and difficult to automate with traditional vision systems.
- Manual sorting exposes workers to hazards, repetitive strain, and missed contaminants.
- Plants need AI systems that can operate with conveyors, robots, dashboards, and municipal or industrial workflows already in place.
What we automate
- Battery detection and robotic removal from mixed waste
- AI waste bag classification and pick-and-place sorting
- Robot-guided bag cutting and opening on conveyors
- Human-assisted vision for edge cases and operational dashboards
Proven results
- 95%+ — Battery detection accuracy at IVAR: AI reliably identified batteries in mixed waste and reduced fire risk in the stream.
- 0 — Fire incidents after deployment: Battery contamination-linked fire incidents dropped to zero in the first months after go-live.
- 4 bags — Waste sorting picks per cycle: A custom ABB IRB 6700 waste-sorting setup handles up to four bags per cycle with real-time reporting.
What recycling automation use cases fit Byte Motion?
Battery removal, waste bag sorting, bio-waste identification, robotic bag cutting, and other recycling workflows where unstructured waste makes standard automation unreliable.
Why use AI in recycling instead of standard vision rules?
Recycling environments are visually inconsistent. AI handles variation in shape, color, fill level, and contamination far better than rigid rule-based systems.
Can Byte Motion combine AI with human-assisted waste sorting?
Yes. Byte Motion's Human Assisted Vision approach supports waste operations where AI handles the bulk of sorting but operators still need visibility and intervention on edge cases.