Materials Processing Company Invests in AI Sorting Technology

Zen Robotics, of Helsinki, Finland, announced its purchase by Terex Material Processing, based in Northern Ireland. Zen Robotics builds artificial intelligence into its robotic sorting machines, allowing them to pick and sort waste autonomously.

The robots are equipped with 3D and inductive sensors, and RGB and hyperspectral cameras. The AI component uses these inputs to make sorting decisions non-deterministically, that is, it learns based on training rather than sorting based on a prescribed formula.  

Customers create discrete sorts by using sample batches to teach the system how to recognize a waste fraction (a category of waste, for example PET bottles). The more training the customer provides to the machine, the more valuable it becomes. So far, the Zen Robotics software, called Zen Brain, has been trained on over 350 of these waste fractions. 

The teachability of the system has made it adaptable to various waste streams. Zen Robotics’s Fast Picker is aimed at material recovery facilities that process municipal waste and can perform up to 4,800 picks per hour. The Heavy Picker is designed for bulky construction, demolition, and industrial waste and can handle items up to 66 lb.

The company will retain its name and be integrated into the Terex MP environmental business, where it is expected to benefit from Terex’s broad market base and many complementary products. While Zen Robotics has installed systems primarily in Europe, Terex is already part of the waste management industry on a global scale through its biomass, recycling, and scrap material handling divisions.

Watch for more on sorting technology in our upcoming September issue.