Carter Schultz, a Robotics Architect at AMP Robotics, discusses leveraging AI and robotics in recycling, Rust adoption in production control systems, benefits of Rust memory management over C++, and the evolution of robotics tech stack with Rust. Topics include licensing technology, vertical integration, Rust's memory safety advantages, and the impact of the Rust community in software development.
AMP Robotics utilizes AI and robotics to revolutionize recycling, focusing on sustainability and resource recovery.
Reducing energy and transportation costs by locating sorting facilities closer to waste producers is a key strategy of AMP Robotics.
AMP Robotics leverages Rust for seamless hardware-software integration, enhancing control systems and communication among industrial devices.
Deep dives
Revolutionizing the Recycling Industry with AI and Robotics
AMP Robotics aims to revolutionize the recycling industry by utilizing AI and robotics to address the global waste problem. The company's mission transcends borders, with operations spanning across 13 countries in Europe, Asia, and North America. By deploying robots equipped with AI technology, AMP Robotics has successfully sorted over 5 billion items in 2022, with plans to scale this capability to handle trillions of items. The focus is on sustainable waste management and resource recovery, emphasizing the need to reduce waste creation and promote recycling and repurposing.
Challenges and Innovations in Waste Management Efficiency
AMP Robotics confronts various challenges in waste management, with a significant portion of expenses attributed to diesel fuel for transportation. The low bulk density of recyclable commodities makes shipping costly, often exceeding the material's value. To mitigate this, AMP Robotics aims to reduce energy consumption and transportation costs by locating sortation facilities closer to waste producers. The company has unveiled AMP 1, a modular facility design, to enhance waste sorting efficiency and scalability. By optimizing operations and leveraging cutting-edge technology, AMP Robotics seeks to streamline waste processing and management.
Navigating Technological Evolution and Integration in Recycling
The podcast delves into AMP Robotics' migration from a software-oriented company to a hardware and systems integration powerhouse. Embracing Rust, a robust and safe programming language, the company enhances its control systems, particularly in managing hundreds of industrial devices such as variable frequency drives (VFDs). Leveraging Rust's asynchronous capabilities, AMP Robotics orchestrates seamless data collection and facilitates efficient communication among intricate machinery components. Through meticulous hardware-software integration and continuous innovation, AMP Robotics solidifies its position in revolutionizing waste management with cutting-edge technologies.
Building a Vertically Integrated Product: Simplifying Complexity Through Iteration
Creating a great product involves intricate engineering work where different levels of expertise come together to build a polished and functional solution. The key to success lies in iterating through building simple versions of the product to address core problems and then refining it. By focusing on the simplest possible solutions and avoiding over-engineering, like in the case of developing a rust control system, the process becomes manageable and allows for continuous improvement.
Leveraging the Quality and Stability of Rust Ecosystem for Scalability
The use of Rust ecosystem, including communication-related crates like Tokyo Tungstenite for MQTT communication, showcases the stability and quality of external tools. Leveraging Rust's networking crates and libraries like Sareddy for serialization and deserialization significantly reduces boilerplate code and enhances efficiency. The seamless integration of Rust types with TypeScript types through the TSRS crate ensures closed-loop type safety, enabling smooth communication between Rust backend and TypeScript frontend applications.
AMP gives waste and recycling leaders the power to harness artificial intelligence and solve the industry’s biggest challenges. The company uses cutting-edge technology to help waste and recycling facilities improve their operations and increase recycling rates.
AMP transforms the economics of the waste industry to make recycling more efficient, cost-effective, scalable, and sustainable.
About Carter Schultz
Carters Schultz is a Robotics Architect at AMP Robotics. He has a background in robotics and computer vision. Previous employers include Neya Systems and SpaceX. An engineer at heart, Carter is passionate about building systems that work reliably and efficiently and pushes the boundaries of what is possible with technology. He is a charismatic speaker and curious mind with a passion for teaching and learning.
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