Beyond the visual
The increasing relevance of environmental and climate protection is affecting many areas of our lives: Beaches on vacation are littered with single-use plastic bottles, and a massive garbage patch floats in the ocean. While hiking or walking in the woods and forests, plastic bags, cups, and other packaging are becoming more and more common. Temperatures are rising, yet almost everything in supermarkets still comes wrapped in plastic. Currently, 67% of this waste is incinerated, even though the energy efficiency of this process is very low. Recycling has a significantly higher efficiency and also produces less CO2. For this reason, it is essential to develop efficient and cost-effective methods for identifying and classifying plastics.
At LMS, we are researching a multispectral system that uses infrared images at different wavelengths to capture the spectral fingerprint of plastics. These fingerprints are then analyzed with a classification network and labeled according to their material. We are excited to contribute to a more sustainable world and future through our research, and are honored to have received the FAU Sustainability Award 2024 for our work.