Artificial intelligence makes waves at the 2nd CIIE in Shanghai

SHANGHAI - Garbage sorting robot, "nutritional diet" for tomatoes, wearable health devices - a future with artificial intelligence, or AI - were all tangible and visible at the second China International Import Expo held from Nov 5 to 10 in Shanghai.

When visiting Shanghai for the first time, where strict garbage sorting policies are being newly enforced, one could feel a bit lost and embarrassed while holding wrappers or empty cups in hands, not knowing which waste container to throw them into. However, any sorting questions one may have could be answered by a garbage sorting robot at the booth of ABB, a Swiss digital technology giant.

Various items of garbage were carried to a black box where the well-designed AI algorithms identified their shapes and located their positions within 100 milliseconds with an accuracy of 98 to 100 percent. Afterward, a collaborative robot dropped them into proper waste bins.