HR-RECYCLER
The project aims at the development of a hybrid plant for the management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), where humans and robots will work together. The system’s main target and its innovative characteristic is the substitution of manually executed expensive, dangerous and time-consuming WEEE processing works (classification, depollution, dismantling, sorting of processed products) with the equivalent automated procedures, executed by a robot.
These tasks precede final processing, which involves crushing to recover and separate recyclable materials using a magnet, an inductive separator and other similar techniques.
In particular, the final objective of the HR Recycler is to create a hybrid cooperation environment, in which humans and robots will share in harmony and carry out simultaneously different management tasks, the case of WEEE management being used as an example of its application.
The system’s main deliverable is the recovery of selected electrical/electronic components (e.g. Printed Circuit Boards) and secondary raw materials (e.g. copper, aluminium, plastic) with high financial and environmental added value, thus helping to achieve the European Union’s fundamental goal of transition to a Circular Economy and promoting innovation, cooperation and technological progress.
Thirteen representatives of academic, technological and industrial communities from seven European Union countries participate in the project.
You can find more information about the programme here