Pauline Rechenberg impressively defends her internship work on the development of an autonomous stationary robot system for hospital waste.
Zittau, April 2, 2025 - Today, Pauline Rechenberg presented her practical semester thesis entitled "Development and construction of a fully automated robot application for data acquisition and data collection of hospital waste" in front of guests at the real Cobot² test stand. The defense was not only technically excellent, but also a real insight into practical, future-oriented research.
The Cobot² test stand is a central component of the project "Cobot²: Synergies in care and recycling through teamwork", which is supported by three institutes of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences:
The work was supervised by Prof. Dr. Martin Sturm (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering) and M.Eng. Christian Vogel (IPM). Both supervisors attested to Pauline Rechenberg's performance, which clearly exceeded expectations.
In her work, Pauline Rechenberg developed a modular robotic system that enables the continuous collection and analysis of hospital waste. The test stand combines various highly complex systems - including a collaborative robot (cobot), a 2.5D camera system, conveyor belt technology, a vibration hopper for material separation, sensor technology and a basic system for integrating future multi-sensor combinations that are required for material analysis.
The aim of the system is to automatically collect data on hospital waste in preparation for an intelligent sorting and recycling strategy. This is particularly relevant as several million tons of medical waste are generated every year - much of which could theoretically be recycled, but is currently incinerated.
The implementation was carried out according to engineering standards (VDI 2222/2225) with a structured concept, risk assessment (DIN EN ISO 12100) and detailed design using CAD. In addition to the selection of suitable components (including UR10e, OnRobot gripper & camera), Pauline developed a safety concept that makes the operation of the system safe and comprehensible despite its research character.
One special feature is the modular architecture of the system. All assemblies - from the conveyor belt to the rack storage system and the robot itself - can be moved and extended. This means that the system is not only tailored to current requirements, but also provides a flexible basis for future research and development work within Cobot².
Their defense directly at the functioning system was a highlight: The test stand impressively demonstrated the functionality of the automated process - from scanning the small load carriers, to separation and data collection, to the return transport. Guests and supervisors alike were impressed by the professionalism and depth of the presentation.
Conclusion: Pauline's work is an outstanding example of engineering expertise, applied robotics and sustainable system development. With her solution, she is making a significant contribution to the future utilization of medical waste and to the further technological development of the Cobot² project.
We would like to thank Pauline for her commitment and excellent work - and look forward to the next steps in this exciting project!
