The group chose to address the Canadian Engineering Grand Challenge’s (EGC) call for inclusive, safe, and sustainable cities by reducing recycling contamination and at improving the accuracy of at home recycling.
The primary function of the project is to take a piece of household waste, identify the type of waste, and sort it into its respective category. The design goals considered safety, environmental impact, public acceptance, reliability, performance, ease of use, maintenance, and standardization. The design criteria specifications were sorting accuracy, composition of product, safety standards, lifespan, cost, sorting, power consumption, system complexity.
To use the product, users must download the controls software onto a Jetson. Users then must 3D print or manufacture parts, order the custom PCB, and assemble the electro-mechanical system. Finally, the user must download the mobile application, and connect to the Jetson via Bluetooth.