In order to convey the stories of companies designated as innovative products more vividly, AVING News has partnered with the Innovative Product Support Center to plan interviews. This interview, jointly conducted by Choi Ji-hoon, the editor-in-chief of AVING News, and Kim Byeong-geon, the head of the Innovative Product Support Center, focuses on illuminating the true value of innovative companies in South Korea.

Aetech Co., Ltd. (CEO Park Tae-hyung) is a resource recycling innovative company that develops automatic waste classification solutions by combining AI and robotics. Editor-in-chief Choi Ji-hoon and Center Head Kim Byeong-geon met with CEO Park Tae-hyung to discuss Aetech's technology and vision leading the innovation of waste classification with AI and robotics.

Q. Choi Ji-hoon, Editor-in-Chief of AVING News: Please introduce Aetech.

A. Park Tae-hyung, CEO of Aetech: Aetech is a company providing a total solution that encompasses both software and hardware by combining AI and robotics technology. We develop and operate services that recognize and analyze waste with AI, which substitutes for the human eye, and classify it through robots.

The 'Aet' in Aetech is a name expressed in Korean pronunciation of AET, which stands for Advanced Environment of Technology.


Q. Kim Byeong-geon, Head of the Innovative Product Support Center (hereafter referred to as Head Kim): Could you explain the technical features of Aetech's 'Aetron'?

A. Park Tae-hyung, CEO of Aetech: Aetech's 'Aetron' is a product that is continuously being advanced. By introducing robots into the waste sorting process, which used to be manually sorted by people, it can process an average of 70 to 80 pieces per minute, and up to more than 100 pieces, enabling consistent and stable operations. Although there are cases where the introduction of advanced technology like robots may seem burdensome, Aetech provides sufficient explanations on usage and replacement methods, and dispatches engineers immediately when needed to alleviate customers' anxieties.

Mixed waste must be accurately sorted by material and color to be recycled. Since Aetron performs these sorting tasks with robots, it can operate 24 hours without break in environments with a multitude of robots, significantly enhancing the factory's production capacity.

The biggest technical characteristic of Aetron is that the AI learns based on unstructured data. Waste is classified into many variables and complex unstructured data as it varies in shape, color, and condition. Aetech directly collects such data on-site for AI learning and has continuously accumulated high-quality data compared to the initial stage. Through this, we have secured the technology to classify types of waste more accurately and quickly.

Additionally, beyond the existing RGB camera sensors, we improved material reading accuracy by applying hyperspectral sensors. Hyperspectral sensors analyze the absorption and reflection characteristics of materials using near-infrared light, allowing them to read material information that cannot be visually verified by humans, such as the composition of plastics or the content of clothing (like polyester and cotton content). Through this technology, Aetron has established itself as a solution capable of distinguishing waste materials that are difficult for humans to identify, surpassing the limitations of conventional sorting.

(Excerpt)

Q. Choi Ji-hoon, Editor-in-Chief of AVING News: I am curious about the reason you decided to support the innovative product designation system.

A. Park Tae-hyung, CEO of Aetech: I thought it was important to find a place to sell once the product was developed. In our case, sales channels are divided into two main types: B2B and B2G, because our robots are used in recycling plants. Recently, public sectors have also shown interest in the pre-processing stage of recycling, so we are conducting both B2B and B2G simultaneously.

We determined that registration for procurement is necessary, especially to enter the B2G market. In fact, several local governments that have adopted our products mentioned that the procedures are fast and convenient when purchasing through procurement. For this reason, we applied for the innovative product designation system.

This year, we were able to deliver one additional unit to Seongnam City through the Innovative Product Fast Track. Seongnam City had previously purchased 2 units, and with one more unit now delivered, it has become a total of 3 units. We plan to expand sales to various regions, including Incheon, Chungju, and Jeju.

Go to the original article