https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/11/mits-recycling-sorting-robot-can-feel-the-difference-between-materials/

RoCycle is, naturally, short for “recycling robot,” the latest offering out of MIT’s CSAIL lab. The pick and place ‘bot utilizes a unique combination of sensors to help distinguish the material differences of objects, in order to sort them ahead of the recycling process.

Built on top of a Rethink Robotics Baxter, the system utilizes a teflon gripper with built in sensors that are capable of determining an object’s makeup based on size and stiffness. It’s not completely perfect just yet.