AMP Robotics partners with Japanese waste technology company

AMP Robotics Corp. (AMP) of Louisville, Colorado, and Ryohshin Co. Ltd. of Japan have announced a partnership to make and sell artificial intelligence (AI)-driven industrial robotics for material recovery in the Japanese construction and demolition (C&D) market. The companies also announced the commercial launch of a comprehensive solution of C&D robotic systems now available in Japan.

Ryohshin designs, engineers, manufactures, distributes, integrates and services waste management technology, while AMP develops AI and robotics for the recycling industry.

Ryohshin and AMP co-developed a robotic system using the AMP Neuron AI platform to guide robots that recognize, sort, pick and process C&D debris for recycling. The two C&D robotic systems are called ‘AI-Benkei’ and ‘AI-Musashi’.

AMP calls AI-Benkei a “heavy-duty workhorse” that uses a single-robot cell to handle heavy debris up to 40 kilograms (about 88 pounds), processing up to 25 metric tons (55,116 pounds) per hour. AI-Musashi is the “high-speed racehorse,” AMP says, using a tandem-robot cell that rapidly picks smaller items at a speed of 160 pieces of material per minute, processing up to 10 metric tons (22,046 pounds) per hour. The two systems combine payload and speed to form a complete solution that can operate 24/7 and process a vast array of material including metal, wood, electronics, concrete and more.

“Ryohshin is grateful to partner with AMP. I am very pleased by their expertise in artificial intelligence and robotics. Our teams worked extremely well together to successfully commercialize this new C&D technology,” says Osamu Kono, the chief executive officer of Ryohshin. “Our customers will benefit greatly from AI-Musashi and AI-Benkei. This technology marks a significant advancement for recycling in Japan.”

AMP has licensed AMP Neuron to Ryohshin for their use and sale of these robotic systems in Japan. In return, AMP will use the robotic technology developed with Ryohshin for its own next generation AMP Cortex C&D robotic system for sale in North America.

“Ryohshin’s strong reputation and leadership in the Japanese recycling markets makes a perfect match for us as we expand internationally. They are a fantastic technology partner and we see this as the first of many collaborations,” says Matanya Horowitz, the chief executive officer of AMP. “The combination of AI-Benkei and AI-Musashi with AMP Neuron is a tremendous leap in technology and productivity for C&D businesses. We are excited about the market response and will launch our own next generation AMP Cortex robotics system for C&D in North America soon.”

AMP says its Neuron technology is the “eyes” and “brain” of the robotic system, achieving real-time pattern recognition to identify target materials. It continuously learns by processing vast amounts of data converted from millions of images captured via its vision system. AMP Neuron recognizes different colors, textures, shapes and patterns to identify material characteristics. AMP Neuron collects all data in a material stream, providing transparency about its material composition, as well as analysis of operational productivity. Customers use this data to monitor and measure performance while gaining critical insights to make key business decisions.

Ryohshin will show AI-Benkei and AI-Musashi at the 2019 N-Expo, Asia’s largest environmental trade show, taking place in Tokyo March 12 - 15.