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Meet BINGO’s newest team member ROBINGO – an Artificial Intelligence (AI) robot spotter.
Safety is a priority at BINGO, with technology and innovation leading the way for continuous improvement to ensure our people and communities are kept safe.
While critical controls are in place to manage safety risks in operations, a desire to further eliminate any risk to people at site saw BINGO start developing its first AI spotter last year.
Once fully operational, the AI robot will take over some of the high-risk tasks which are today carried out by the recycling centre spotters.
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“We are really excited to have received our AI prototype which we are currently testing at our sites,” said Declan Hogan, Chief Information Officer.
“The robot is equipped with cameras to identify any hazardous materials on the tipping floor and its accuracy will be greater than the human eye due to the AI technology.
“The robot creates a 3D scan of a waste pile using three cameras – one infrared camera to detect temperature, one camera to see depth and another normal camera that provides colour.
“A spotter’s role is to monitor and direct traffic on the tipping floor at recycling centres and transfer stations, and inspect the loads to ensure hazardous materials aren’t included. The task means that they often come in proximity of moving vehicles, requiring strict communication between the individuals operating the heavy machinery and the spotters.
“The introduction of ROBINGO will significantly reduce any exposure to heavy machinery, which is a great safety improvement and outcome.”
The end goal for the AI robot is to identify each material type in a customer bin to safely prevent any hazardous materials entering the recycling process. It will also provide BINGO customers with improved waste and recycling reporting as it learns more about the many waste streams we receive at our advanced recycling facility MPC2, at Eastern Creek in Western Sydney.
In the last five years, AI deep learning has progressed significantly, enabling the creation of robots like this 3D camera equipped with an AI machine. With its advanced algorithms and the ability to utilise low-cost off-the-shelf components, it stands as a testament to the rapid development and democratisation of AI technology.
BINGO aims to have AI robots operating at all sites in the coming years.
