Provided is a method for concentrating a valuable metal contained in a lithium ion secondary battery, for processing a lithium ion secondary battery containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of cobalt and nickel, or a positive electrode material of the lithium ion secondary battery, to concentrate a valuable metal containing either or both of cobalt and nickel. The method includes a thermal treatment step of thermally treating the lithium ion secondary battery or the positive electrode material thereof, to form a granular aggregate containing at least one valuable metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt and nickel.

A distribution system for use in an induction system with an object processing system. The distribution system provides dissimilar objects into one of a plurality of receiving units. The distribution system includes an air intake system with an opening that is a fixed distance from a conveyor section, said air intake system aiding in moving an object on the conveyor section from the conveyor section to one of a plurality of adjacent transport units.

Devices, systems and methods for sorting and labeling food products are provided. Respective spectra of food products for a plurality of segments of a line are received at a controller from at least one line-scan dispersive spectrometer configured to acquire respective spectra of the food products for the plurality of segments of the line. The controller applies one or more machine learning algorithms to the respective spectra to classify the plurality of segments according to at least one of one or more food parameters. The controller controls one or more of a sorting device and a labeling device according to classifying the plurality of segments to cause the food products to be one or more of sorted and labeled according to the at least one of the one or more food parameters.

Method for automatic sorting of batteries, the method including generating a fan-shaped X-ray beam; scanning the batteries with the fan-shaped X-Ray beam; for each battery, capturing X-rays that pass though the battery with an X-ray detector and converting the X-rays into first and second digital images, wherein the first digital image represents X-rays at a first energy, and the second digital image represents X-rays at a second energy; automatically analyzing the first and second digital images to determine a type of the battery by identifying characteristic features of each battery type based on a gray spectrum of at least 8 bit resolution that is looked up in a model database branch; and sorting the batteries by type.

The present invention relates to a method and system for screening and separating biological specimens. The screening and separating method and system provide reliable results based on information related to the types, shapes, and positions of labeled products provided by an agent for accurate screening. In addition, the information related to the types, shapes, and positions can be combined to determine objective indices for the state of a target specimen, enabling rapid selection of the target specimen. The method and system for screening and separating biological specimens according to the present invention use an agent optimized to accurately and effectively create information on the selection of a target specimen and process images based on information on images stored in a server, enabling sensitive and highly reproducible screening evaluation.

Methods and systems are disclosed for improvements in aquaculture that allow for increasing the number and growth efficiency of fish in an aquaculture setting (or other animals in other settings) by identifying or predicting characteristics of the animals based on visual or ultrasound images of the animals obtained through non-invasive means. The animals are sorted based on the characteristics.

Apparatus and method for assigning a material value score to a waste printed circuit board or a portion thereof and system for sorting waste printed circuit boards.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses are disclosed for automated shuttles for rapid replacement of full containers. In one embodiment, an example system may include a shuttle configured to move adjacent to an array of containers arranged in a first row and a second row, the array of containers having a first container in the first row and a second container in the second row, a first container receptacle portion configured to receive containers, the first container receptacle portion having a first conveyor, and a second container receptacle portion configured to receive containers, the second container receptacle portion having a second conveyor. The system may include a motor configured to cause the shuttle to move laterally adjacent to the array of containers.

A system includes a network interface and a processor coupled to the network interface. The processor is configured to receive an identifier of a waste product via the network interface; determine, based on the identifier, a waste category for the waste product; and provide a report that includes the determined waste category.

A sorting system for inspected parts includes a storage assembly, a conveyance system, and a controller. The storage assembly has a plurality of bins configured to receive and store the inspected parts. The conveyance system is configured to deliver the inspected parts to the storage assembly. The controller programmed to, assign part types to each of the plurality of bins. The controller is further programmed to operate the conveyance system to deliver each of the inspected parts to one of the plurality of bins having a matching part type. The controller is further programmed to, in response to a full condition of the storage assembly, empty the inspected parts from a first the plurality of bins.