The firm uses AI-powered waste-picking robots to reduce the cost of sorting materials and transform the waste into resources and deliver data essential for dynamic decision
Recycleye’s technology picks waste with more consistent accuracy than a human. (Credit: Recycleye)
UK-based waste robotics firm Recycleye has raised an additional $17m in a Series A funding round led by deep-tech venture capital firm DCVC to enhance its artificial intelligence (AI)-driven waste-picking robotics solution.
Recycleye offers an AI-driven solution for sorting dry mixed recycling. The funding from DCVC will be used to scale this technology to transform global waste management.
The robotics firm uses AI-powered waste-picking robots to lower the cost of material sorting. The technology converts waste into resources and delivers data essential for dynamic decision-making in a Material Recovery Facility (MRF).
According to Recycleye, the additional funding will help further enhance Recycleye’s sorting’s exceptional accuracy.
The Series A funding round follows $5m previously raised in 2021 and $2.6m in innovation financing obtained to this point from the European and UK governments.
FCC for re3 general manager Rory Brien said: “At FCC, we believe in being forward-thinking, so investing in the latest waste sorting technology was an obvious choice.
“Recycleye Robotics is delivering the consistent purity in sorted material and reliable data that we need to run an effective facility.”
The technology, installed at the end of the recycling process, integrates computer vision and robotics to scan and detect objects at 60 frames per second.
Recycleye said that the robot is trained to select an infinite number of material classes, including plastics, aluminium, paper, and cardboard, using proprietary AI models.
Robotics is claimed to be the most precise and effective AI robotic picking solution now on the market, which is twice as fast as the industry standard.
The waste robotics firm views each item on average 30 times as it moves on the conveyor belt, increasing its chance of being accurately identified before picking.
Capable of picking 33,000 items per robot, the technology intends to gather compositional data to support plant managers in making strategic decisions, Recycleye added.
As per the firm, the technology will also compensate for labour shortages and rising expenses. It will increase accuracy in the picking of plastics, aluminium, paper, and cardboard.