Skip to main content

Space age Bin-e trash can scans, sorts, and compacts your rubbish automatically

Bine in action
When you think about real-world uses for artificial intelligence, chances are that “smart trash can” isn’t one of the first things that springs to mind. Nonetheless, that’s what an innovative startup from Poland, called Bin-e, has created with its forthcoming line of trash-sorting waste disposal units. The smart bins use a range of smart sensors, cameras, deep learning image recognition algorithms to make it so you’ll never again have to sort your paper from your plastic or glass — if the technology catches on, that is.

“Bin-e uses artificial intelligence to identify the type of waste that is being disposed of, segregates the waste, compresses it, and places it in the relevant chamber automatically,” Jakub Luboński, CEO and co-founder of Bin-e, told Digital Trends. “The embedded computer gathers data about every item that enters each chamber, and uploads it on the cloud database. The maintenance crew of the office building management company is notified via an app when to collect the contents of full chambers. The software is based on deep learning algorithms and learns with time about new objects. Data stored includes information on consumption patterns, which products and brands the users are consuming, the time, and quantity.”

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Although we’ve covered some nifty trash disposal units in the past, the Bin-e trash can claims to be the world’s first smart waste bin company, complete with its own cloud-based Internet of Things platform. At present, the team is still showing off prototypes, but going forward, the plan is to develop solutions that could be used in offices, in outdoor environments, or even in regular homes.

Recommended Videos

“Bin-e will be introduced to the Polish and German smart buildings market this October,” Luboński continued. From there, the plan is to start rolling out to additional countries from 2018. No price has been finalized, but the plan is to charge an upfront cost for installation and then a monthly subscription fee.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

If the results can help improve recycling rates and, heck, just make the simple act of tossing away an empty can of soda a little bit more fun, we’re all for this. It’s certainly not the weirdest IoT device we’ve come across, by any stretch of the imagination.

Luke Dormehl
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
Dodge’s Charger EV muscles up to save the planet from ‘self-driving sleep pods’
dodges charger ev muscles up to save the planet from self driving sleep pods stellantis dodge daytona

Strange things are happening as the electric vehicle (EV) industry sits in limbo ahead of the incoming Trump administration’s plans to end tax incentives on EV purchases and production.

The latest exemple comes from Dodge, which is launching a marketing campaign ahead of the 2025 release of its first fully electric EV, the Daytona Charger.

Read more
Many hybrids rank as most reliable of all vehicles, Consumer Reports finds
many hybrids rank as most reliable of all vehicles evs progress consumer reports cr tout cars 0224

For the U.S. auto industry, if not the global one, 2024 kicked off with media headlines celebrating the "renaissance" of hybrid vehicles. This came as many drivers embraced a practical, midway approach rather than completely abandoning gas-powered vehicles in favor of fully electric ones.

Now that the year is about to end, and the future of tax incentives supporting electric vehicle (EV) purchases is highly uncertain, it seems the hybrid renaissance still has many bright days ahead. Automakers have heard consumer demands and worked on improving the quality and reliability of hybrid vehicles, according to the Consumer Reports (CR) year-end survey.

Read more
U.S. EVs will get universal plug and charge access in 2025
u s evs will get universal plug charge access in 2025 ev car to charging station power cable plugged shutterstock 1650839656

And then, it all came together.

Finding an adequate, accessible, and available charging station; charging up; and paying for the service before hitting the road have all been far from a seamless experience for many drivers of electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.S.

Read more