For a few years now, Google’s offices have had robots roaming around trying to separate recyclable items from waste in trash cans. Today, robots can already do their work with 84 percent accuracy.

Robots can sort items in bins into recycling, compost and trash. The robot is shown what the correct sorting result is and this is followed by a self-learning process where the machine is left to think how to achieve this result by trial and error and with the help of a feedback system, gradually creating an optimal operating model.

Source: The Scientist