Scientists are building an AI-powered robot to take apart your old phone

The Verge quoted Minghui Zheng in an article about efforts to create AI-powered robots to help harvest recycled electronics. The article quotes Minghui Zheng, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, who is leading a $445,000 Department of Energy project to develop software that allows robots to automatically identify different types of smartphones on a recycling line, remove the batteries, and harvest various high-value components. “There are lots of limitations of robots,” Zheng says. Basic tasks, like using robotic grippers to pull out small components, could be “very challenging,” she says.