Reclaiming Wood Waste to Fight Climate Change

Urban Machine, led by CTO Andrew Gillies, aims to convert construction and demolition wood waste into locally sourced lumber. This innovative solution not only addresses the problem of wood waste ending up in landfills, but also significantly reduces the carbon impact of construction. By repurposing reclaimed lumber instead of using new materials, the carbon impact can be 13 times lower. The challenge lies in efficiently removing metal fasteners from the reclaimed lumber, which requires a combination of robotic perception and manipulation. Urban Machine has successfully deployed a pilot system and is working towards scaling its operations to tackle the massive opportunity in the lumber recycling industry.