Simon Fraser University welcomed Oscar, the trash-sorting AI, onto its Surrey campus Tuesday.
Oscar has a 32-inch display screen and uses an artificial intelligence camera to help people decide which bin their trash belongs in. It uses a mixture of machine learning and computer vision to provide real-time predictions to teach people how to recycle better.
If Oscar sees person walking by who has trash in their hands, it will recognize the object and let them know which bin to throw it into. If they get it right, Oscar might reward them with a coupon, but if they place it in the wrong bin, Oscar may get grouchy.
It’s a product of Intuitive AI, a start-up company founded by Hassan Murad and Vivek Vyas, both who studied mechatronic systems engineering at SFU.
For Murad, it was “nostalgic” for him to be back at his alma mater and unveiling his own product.
According to the company's website, the idea of Oscar began with “a vision to create a zero waste world.”
Murad told CTV News that the biggest problem they are trying to solve with Oscar is contamination in garbage bins, especially in public places such as malls, universities and airports.
“A lot of items that shouldn’t go in the garbage bins are entering into the stream," Murad said. "That waste will go to landfills, oceans or eventually Third World countries."
Oscar is already stationed at three different bins at Vancouver International Airport, along with many other locations in Calgary, Toronto and San Francisco.
Murad says any organizations interested in having Oscar installed at their recycling bins can reach out by emailing hello@intuitiveai.ca.
