AI and Machine Learning with Robotics

 Avi Szczupakiewicz, Class of 2023, completed major in Engineering Science

The journey began with brainstorming for everyday problems and common issues. After reaching out to a former teacher and mentor, I was given the answer which was about people in their school putting recyclables in the wrong bins. I decided that Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning with Robotics was the answer.

Through my research, I found a program that allowed me to capture videos of the items I wanted to be trained and recognized. Unfortunately, the program lost support, and I couldn't export the file, so I had to scrap that idea. I then found a Google Colab file that allowed me to create an Object Detection Model, but it was a slow and tedious process that had to be done manually.

After hours of manually training the model, I had the files I needed. I then reused many parts the school already had, including a Raspberry Pi 3, rails, and a motor, which helped me save money. However, I had to purchase a few bins, a second motor, and a stepper driver, and I already owned the rest of the necessary parts like wires and plugs.

I believe that future adaptations of this project could benefit from a Raspberry Pi 4 as AI is computationally demanding. At the current state of the project, I have the proof of concept working on a small scale and in the future it could be adapted to full sized bins and in every school and office.

Overall, I learned that senior projects are an essential milestone in the academic life of students, culminating all the knowledge and skills they have acquired throughout their academic journey. Through the development of the Smart Recycle project, I gained knowledge of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and hardware components including cameras, sensors, motors, and microcontrollers, as well as the development of custom software to control and coordinate these components.

I am confident that the Smart Recycle project has the potential to improve the efficiency and accuracy of recycling, reducing contamination and promoting sustainability, and I am proud of the work I have accomplished throughout its development.