Training AI-powered recycling robots with Rebecca Hu from Glacier

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Glacier

Glacier is an AI robotics company founded in 2019 by Rebecca and AR to address the climate crisis and improve recycling efficiency.
Their robots use AI-powered vision to identify and sort recyclable materials, improving traceability and recovery of high-value items.
Glacier collaborates with various stakeholders in the circular economy to promote sustainable design and end-of-life packaging solutions.
The company leverages data and insights from the recycling process to educate brands and manufacturers on sustainable design principles.

The recycling process is complex due to material variations and the need for high purity rates.
Wish cycling, putting non-recyclable items in recycling bins, further complicates the process.

Glacier's robots use AI-powered vision trained on millions of images to identify and sort recyclable materials.
The AI can be customized based on location and local recycling guidelines.
Glacier's technology helps companies understand the fate of their packaging after it reaches consumers, enabling them to improve sustainability efforts and comply with extended producer responsibility laws.

Glacier recently secured funding, reflecting growing investor interest in AI and climate tech.
Some investors remain skeptical about AI's capabilities and want to ensure companies genuinely use AI rather than manual labor.
Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund invested in Glacier due to its market potential and ability to enhance the sustainability of Amazon's supply chain.

Gler is a company that applies AI and industrial automation to solve challenges in the recycling industry.
Co-founded by Randall, Gler's leadership style is consensus-driven and open to new information.
The company's first hire was a skilled mechanical engineer to complement the co-founders' software and AI development expertise.
Gler's robots are made from sustainable materials, and the company is committed to reducing its environmental footprint.

Gler's robots are currently focused on expanding to different materials and waste streams.
The company is exploring ways to use AI and data to make better decisions about recycling.
Gler is considering various approaches to sortation at scale, including designing new technologies that don't rely on item-by-item picking.

Some investors are skeptical about AI companies and want to ensure they genuinely use AI rather than manual labor.
The speaker criticizes this skepticism, highlighting Glacier's achievements in building and deploying real robots with a small team.
The speaker argues that companies like Glacier deserve more funding and expresses frustration with investors' excessive focus on AI without considering implementation and results.