Vancouver’s Metaspectral has received a $300,000 grant from CleanBC to develop computer vision, artificial intelligence, and robotics designed to sort post-consumer recycled plastic.
It is impossible for humans to differentiate between different types of clear plastic bottles with the naked eye, so until now, various types of post-consumer recycled clear plastics were sold together in bulk, decreasing the quality and value of the finished recycled material.
Metaspectral’s technology will make it possible to differentiate between otherwise indistinguishable materials in real-time. The technology will support the circular economy for plastics and stimulate more local processing capacity for recycling as more manufacturers begin using higher-quality recycled plastics.
The grant funding comes from the CleanBC Plastics Action Fund, which is funded by the BC Government and administered by Alacrity Cleantech. The CleanBC Plastics Action Fund supports B.C. businesses creating value from used plastics by including more recycled material in product manufacturing to keep plastic out of landfills.
Last week Metaspectral was selected to join the SCALE Aerospace Accelerator Program in Los Angeles. Metaspectral’s unique technology addresses this problem that space agencies have transmitting data back down to earth.
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