By Lisa Felepchuk
Vancouver International airport (YVR) has added a brand new member to its team: a garbage-sorting robot named Oscar. The new hire has been tasked with helping busy travellers properly place their garbage and/or recycling into the right bin.
The truth is, ensure that your waste winds up in the right place can be tricky. You’ve probably been there: you take a final slip of your coffee and are now holding an empty paper cup with a plastic lid and a wooden stir stick and there are three bins to choose from. If you’re lucky, there are some pictures that try and help you out, but they’re confusing at best and nonexistent at worst. Umm… is there the option to phone a friend? Oscar hopes to eliminate that stressful scene. The system uses artificial intelligence and computer vision. When you approach Oscar, there are three bins with one 32” screen hanging in the middle. When you hold up your trash in front of Oscar’s screen, it uses machine learnings to accurately detect the type of garbage/recycling that you’re holding and then directs you to place it into the appropriate bin. “We’re thrilled to work with Intuitive AI and welcome Oscar to YVR. In a short amount of time, we’ve seen the positive impact Oscar has had on our waste diversion program at YVR. Aiding our passengers with waste sorting through artificial intelligence is an innovative way of improving the airport’s environmental footprint through technology,” said Shaye Folk-Blagbrough, Senior Environmental Specialist at the Vancouver Airport Authority. While Oscar isn’t as cute as say Pixar’s computer animated Wall-E (and hopefully not as lonely, either), the two robots have similar intentions: collect and sort garbage to better the planet.
Currently there are three Oscar garbage-sorting bins that are part of this pilot project at YVR. An airport is an interesting place for this kind of test as it greatly impacts anyone in transit, including those who may not read English or understand how Canadian garbage systems work. With Oscar, improperly placed waste and recycling can be reduced. “At YVR, we strive to be a leader in environmental management. Understanding that our passengers come from around the world with different waste sorting systems, one of the challenges we face is ensuring waste is correctly sorted at waste bins located throughout the terminal. As such, we’re constantly looking at creative approaches to waste management,” said Folk-Blagbrough. Someone make note, this robot deserves a bonus come December! Have you used Oscar the garbage-sorting robot at YVR? Let us know about your experience in the comments below.
source : https://beta.canada.com/travel/vancouver-yvr-airport-hires-a-garbage-sorting-robot-called-oscar/wcm/73a0b767-ccf5-499c-a987-7ad481d3eabd/amp