Have you ever scratched your head in front of recycling bins with different colours, not knowing which colour you should aim your empty Coca Cola can at? Automatic Material Sorter (AMS), which won a superior prize at the 22nd “Feng Ru Cup” College Students Academic and Scientific Works Competition and a fourth prize at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) Greater China Region Design Competition 2012, promises to end that confusion once and for all.
Designed by students from UM’s Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), AMS stood out from over a thousand entries for its simplicity, practicality, high efficiency, and potential in energy conservation and environmental protection. It can accurately identify bottles and cans made of different materials and quickly sort them into where they belong.
Winning students said that they were very excited that these two large design competitions gave them a chance to turn their design ideas into something tangible and they treasured the opportunity to learn from the other contestants. They disclosed that during the design process, they devoted a lot of time and effort into making the recycling process and the circuit control system as simple and practical as possible. They also expressed gratitude to Prof. Tam Lap Mou, Prof. Wong Pak Kin, Dr. Lo Kin Ho, Dr. Xie Zhengchao and Dr. Wong Seng Fat for their great support and guidance that helped overcome the numerous challenges in the process.
Contesting teams came from around the world, including the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education, the City University of Hong Kong, Guangzhou College of South China University of Technology, Kogakuin University, Ritsumeikan University and Taiwan Yunlin University of Science and Technology.