Communications of the ACM
Robots Put to Work on E-Waste
Researchers at the University of New South Wales say they have used robots to automate the process of disassembling liquid crystal displays for recycling.
Credit: Grant Turner
Researchers at Australia's University of New South Wales (NSW) believe they have automated the process of disassembling liquid crystal display (LCD) screens for recycling. The team has programmed industrial robots to learn and memorize how screens are designed, remove the display and printed circuit board without damaging them, and apply this knowledge to unfamiliar models so they continue to work quickly and limit mistakes.
"We've successfully proven that you can teach a robot to disassemble LCD screens," says NSW professor Sami Kara. "They break one or two but then they learn and they don't make the same mistake again."
He says the robots would be especially helpful for limiting human exposure to potentially toxic materials used in electronics, and thinks the technique could be adapted for recycling other products such as lithium batteries.
Kara says the technology is ready for industry trials now that it has been proven in the lab.
He notes additional robots could be incorporated into the setup to handle e-scrap as it is loaded or unloaded from a robot performing disassembly. "You could isolate them in a cubicle, dump the screens in, and have them work 24x7 non-stop," Kara says.
From University of New South Wales
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