New robot can lend a hand in effort to sort waste

Beijing: With many Chinese cities poised to follow Shanghai in implementing compulsory waste sorting, researchers from the country’s major carrier rocket maker have spotted a niche where their expertise could pay off.

Designers at the Beijing Institute of Precision Mechatronics and Controls are known for developing and making servo motors used on carrier rockets built by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the country’s leading rocket maker and their institute’s parent.

However, their latest product-which was shown to the public at the 2019 World Robot Conference that ran from Tuesday to Sunday in Beijing-is not some sophisticated apparatus on giant rockets but a new robot designed for community managers and city officials to enable them to sort and organise garbage in an efficient manner.

Liang Binyan, the robot’s chief designer, said the machine incorporates intelligent algorithms and the institute’s know-how on servo motors and precision control devices, adding that such instruments are key parts on other robots as well as spacecraft.

“The robot is an interesting example of how we transfer space technologies to benefit the public.

“It’s predecessor has been lifted into space by a rocket to conduct experiments in clearing space debris, and all of its visual-recognition, human-computer interaction and robotic arm systems were developed based on those used on rockets,” he explained