Why Robots?
- bjones349
- Jun 1, 2024
- 3 min read
Wood waste accounts for 10% of material added to landfills every year [6]. This landfill disposal of considerably low value wood elicits a multitude of detrimental environmental impacts [3]. For instance, leachates that decrease the quality of groundwater–liquid pollution that seeps through a landfill’s waste pile–delay in fill stabilization, and release of smells to name a few [3]. Additionally, residual wood waste possesses its own wildfire risks [2]. However, with technology on the rise, many individuals have sought out methods to incorporate novel technology into their wood waste removal strategies [2]. Technological advancements have continued to create opportunities for many who utilize them correctly [2]. For instance, a company named the Urban Machine shares this vision of wood waste removal by reclaiming these materials with the objective of reusing them [5]. Its founders acknowledged the desire for environmental sustainability along with the potential of robotic systems and artificial intelligence; thus, merging the concepts into a machine that reclaims tons of wood waste [5].
According to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, soot (also known as black carbon) is a form of carbon emissions created through burning various materials [1]. Intentionally burning substances like fossil fuels and wood for energy can form soot, as can unintentional burning (such as forest fires) [1]. Soot is a substance that contributes to climate change with an effectiveness of as much as 1500 times that of carbon dioxide (per gram) [1]. It is also a potentially dangerous air pollutant, as soot emissions are hazardous to the health of those who inhale them [1]. Figure 1 shows that a large percentage of soot emissions come from forest fires in the United States [4]. Considering the environmental and health hazards that soot emissions present, and how much of these emissions are caused by forest fires, it becomes even more imperative to prevent forest fires.
[4]
(Figure made using canva.com)
Figure 1
In the United States, Carbon emissions from wildfires can account for about one third of all soot emissions [4].
Our project, UC Merced’s Robotic-Assisted Wood Waste Removal, consists of programming robots to traverse terrain and track their human counterparts during the wood waste removal process to alleviate unnecessary stress on the workers as well as increase physical capacities when collecting the wood waste. Our team understands the significance surrounding wood waste removal and the hindrances that accompany. Here in California, there is a great risk for wildfires and the emissions that are caused from them; however, these emissions are ambiguous due to the uncertainty of each element pertaining to these wildfires [4]. Wood waste is a vital component that can initiate wildfires, causing an increase in emissions, which is our team’s emphasis [2]. We hope to reduce the amount of wildfires and carbon emissions by targeting this influential source.
Figure 2:
A robot built by the Robotic-Assisted Wood Waste Removal Team.
Sources:
1. Black Carbon. Climate & Clean Air Coalition www.ccacoalition.org/short-lived-climate-pollutants/black-carbon#:~:text=Black%20carbon%20particles%20are%20released,often%20referred%20to%20as%20soot
2. Clever Wood Use Could Mitigate Wildfires and Climate Change. Eos Magazine. 22 May 2024
3. Landfill Diversion. California Biomass Energy Alliance. 22 May 2024
4. Larkin, Narasimhan, et al. Wildland fire emissions, carbon, and climate: U.S. emissions inventories. Forest Ecology and Management, vol 317, 1 April 2014, pp. 61-69. 25 May 2025
5. The Machine. Urban Machine, 2021. 22 May 2024
6. Wood Waste Recycling. Astec Industries. 22 May 2024.
Comments