The Challenge

While India surges into the future each day, waste management remains one of its primal banes.Especially in urban environments, where the volume of waste generated each day is phenomenal,which makes segregating it all the more difficult and crucial. Numerous efforts are in place to collect segregated waste at source, but the accumulation of bagged, unsegregated waste, at street corners, around public parks and near public properties, is truly daunting. It is this waste that currently requires manual labour for segregation. The process is laborious and best curtailed.

Problem-Statement: The Challenge Overview

The broad expectation from the participating teams at the K-RISE Challenge is to develop a robot that can aid in waste segregation. This goal has been classified into three stages namely identifying different kinds of waste, separating them, and then moving them into designated colour-coded waste disposal containers.

Level 1 – Sort: The robot is required to identify and classify objects from a mixed material (mock trash) pile. These objects will vary from paper, plastic, glass, organic, to also a combination of substances, like a half-empty milkshake glass bottle.

Level 2 – Pick: This stage requires precise handling of the segregated objects. The mechanism of the robot should pick-up the objects and grasp them in a manner that causes no additional damage to the object. For instance, the autonomous system should be able to handle a crumpled ball of paper, as well as a ripe vegetable.

Level 3 – Deposit: The last stage of the challenge involves movement of each segregated object to a designated, colour-coded bin, that is placed at a specific location. These bins are colour coded by material type. The robot has to move autonomously through a 2D mapped path, to deposit the right object type into its designated colour coded bin.

Eligibility & Conditions to Compete

• Each team is allowed to enter more than one robot
• Number of members per team 2 – 4
• No restriction on number of teams from the same educational institution
• Robot batteries with capacity less than 5000mAh
• Communication with external servers or computers is acceptable
• Human interaction is allowed only at the start of Level 1 and at the end of Level 3
• Intermittent communication is not allowed while task is in progress
• Pneumatic and hydraulic subsystems are not allowed
• Bins to collect segregated waste will have access only from top
• Bins will not have lids and will be colour coded
• Closed carton box dimension: 2 x 2 x 2 ft.
• Post Prototype Screening (Level 2), shortlisted teams will each get INR 20,000/- as BoM costs

Pile Types for Segregation
The mixed trash piles will be contained in:

• Pile 1: Plastic Trash Bag
• Pile 2: Closed Carton Box
• Pile 3: Plastic Bin

Segregation Process

• Each pile will contain 5 random trash objects.
• Objects need to be segregated for separate colour coded bins.
• The 3 piles will be contained in an area of 3m x 3m dimension.
• Movement pathway for the automated bots will be created with marking tape.
• Visibility and illumination conditions for each trash pile will vary from streetlight to a dark alley.
• Weight of each object will not exceed 500 grams.

Dry Waste Types for Segregation

1. Paper: Newspaper, paper plate, pamphlets (could be crumpled)
2. Plastic: Cover/ wrapper, toy, water bottle, plate
3. Metal: Soda can, bottle lids, nails/ screws, ornaments
4. Glass: Bulb, nail polish bottle, sauce bottle
5. Wood/ leaves: Sticks, leaves, door handle

Bin Size & Colour Coding

• 10 Litres capacity each
• Dimension in Inches: L 10.6 x W 10.6 x H 11.4
• For Paper: Blue
• For Plastic: Yellow
• For Metal: Red
• For Glass: Green
• For Wood/Leaves: Brown

Expert Panel Evaluation Parameters: For Proposals

The submitted proposals will be evaluated by an Expert Panel, comprising of leading industry experts and members from the academia. This panel will interact directly with the teams to evaluate their proposals. The evaluation parameters are:

1. Understanding & Compliance

• Level of compliance with the requirements detailed out for the challenge
• The team’s understanding of these requirements
• The proposal’s ability to provide evidence of sufficient planning to complete the task within the specified timeline and utilization of available resources

2. Soundness of Approach

• Proof of evidence of understanding the technical concepts required to compete

3. Team Composition

• Key strengths of team members and their contribution to the project
• Is the composition multidisciplinary

Evaluation Parameters: Final Solution [LEVEL 3]

1.  Accuracy of separation: Are all 15 objects from the 3 piles deposited into the right colour-colour bin
2. Speed: Overall time taken to complete the task
3. Collision with other objects or deviation from the marked paths
4. Total number of human interventions through all levels

Important Dates

Proposal Submission: 15th November 2019
Announcement of Shortlisted Proposals: 30th November 2019
Submission of Prototype: 30th January 2020
Selection of Finalists: 15th February 2019
Final Presentation: 15th April 2020

WINNING TEAMS GET

• First Prize: INR 3,00,000/-
• Second Prize: INR 2,00,000/-
• Third Prize: INR 1,00,000/-

All 3 winning solutions will be submitted for display, at the MINRO Center in IIIT-B.

Register your team at http://www.minro.org/krise-registration

Download Proposal format: click here