Tech watch: Humanoid robot set to revolutionise waste sorting

From the newsletter

This quarter’s focus on technology features an Automated Litter Processing Humanoid Assistant (ALPHA), a next-generation robot set to transform waste sorting and recycling. Developed by TeknTrash Robotics, the technology uses VR-trained AI and hyperspectral imaging to mimic human dexterity, improving recycling accuracy.

• ALPHA’s ability to learn from human motions helps overcome common robotic limitations in handling irregular and varied waste items, enabling it to perform complex sorting tasks that traditionally require skilled manual labor.

• By addressing human fatigue and sorting errors, ALPHA improves recycling purity, reduces contamination in single-stream waste and boosts resale value through precise, consistent robotic sorting that outperforms manual efforts.

More details

• Based in the UK, TeknTrash Robotics—a research company specialising in robotic solutions for waste handling—is set to pilot ALPHA at Sharp Group’s facility in Rainham, East London. Workers at the site wear Meta Quest 3 headsets that record their movements during daily operations. The motion data trains ALPHA to take over repetitive, unsanitary, or hazardous waste selection tasks.

• Currently, ALPHA is being trained to identify waste items on conveyor belts in recycling plants, sorting them by material type and brand. Unlike traditional stationary robotic arms, this innovation is designed for mobility, dexterity and enhanced perception, with training focused on replicating the precision of human hand movements.

• Powered by NVIDIA’s GR00T AI framework, a generalist robotics model, ALPHA learns from human demonstrations and makes adaptive decisions in real time. Mounted on autonomous rails, ALPHA navigates sorting environments, coordinates with other units and boosts overall facility throughput. 

• This quarter has also seen Japanese automotive technology manufacturer Toyoda Gosei unveil a groundbreaking recycling innovation aimed at the automotive industry. The technology targets the reuse of high-quality plastics from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) through horizontal recycling—a process that preserves the material quality of recycled plastics, allowing them to be reintegrated into new automotive parts without compromising performance. This approach challenges traditional recycling methods, which often degrade plastic quality and limit reuse potential.

• A major breakthrough in this technology is the use of recycled plastics containing 50% end-of-life vehicle (ELV) material in automotive interior components like glove boxes, which require high impact resistance and durability. This approach advances circularity and helps reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 40% during part production.

• Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Leicester have developed an innovative recycling technology that uses high-power ultrasound, or soundwaves, to recover valuable materials from hydrogen fuel cells. This method efficiently separates platinum, a precious metal used as a catalyst in fuel cells, achieving an impressive 92% recovery rate.

• By applying intense soundwaves, the technology rapidly detaches the platinum catalyst from polymer membranes in under a minute, significantly speeding up the recycling process.

Our take

• ALPHA’s breakthrough shows how robotics can finally tackle the complexity and unpredictability of waste sorting, a task long dependent on human skill, marking a leap toward smarter, more efficient circular waste management systems.

• Toyoda Gosei’s advanced plastic recycling technology challenges industry norms by maintaining high material quality at scale, setting a new benchmark for sustainable automotive manufacturing and cutting CO₂ emissions significantly.

• The University of Leicester’s soundwave recycling efficiently recovers platinum, reducing mining needs and environmental impact, advancing a sustainable, circular economy in clean hydrogen fuel cell technology.