As part of the "Cobot²" research project, three institutes of the HSZG are working together on new ways to make the recycling process for hospital waste more efficient and sustainable.
As part of the research project "Cobot²: Synergies in care and recycling through teamwork", three institutes at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences are working together on a forward-looking question: How can modern robotic systems help to make the recycling process for hospital waste more efficient and sustainable?
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On April 8, 2025, the interdisciplinary project team met for a working meeting in Zittau. The focus was on the presentation of a modular test stand developed by student Pauline Rechenberg as part of her practical semester. The set-up combines modern robotics with intelligent sensor technology and provides practical insights into future applications for the automated sorting of medical waste.
The goal: fully automated collection, analysis and sorting of hospital waste - as the basis for sustainable recycling processes. Thanks to its modular architecture, the test stand can be flexibly expanded and is therefore ideal for future research and development work.
In addition to the technical presentation, the project meeting provided an opportunity for personal networking, sharing previous findings and discussing future application scenarios - both in the care sector and in waste management.
The Cobot² project impressively demonstrates how robotics, sustainability and care science can be meaningfully combined and technologically implemented. It illustrates the potential of interdisciplinary collaboration in applied research for the society of tomorrow.
Further information on the trainer and Pauline Rechenberg's practical semester project can be found here.
