Greenroom Robotics is proud to announce that Kyle Jewiss, one of our graduate engineers, has been awarded the Engineering Student of the Year (Sydney division) by Engineers Australia. This recognition celebrates Kyle’s hard work on his Honours Thesis, ‘A Low-Cost Handheld Plastic Identification Device.’
Kyle’s thesis tackled a significant global challenge: improving the efficiency and accessibility of plastic recycling. His project centred on designing a handheld scanner capable of identifying seven types of plastic, including PET, HDPE, and PP, with real-world accuracy exceeding 90%. What makes this device stand out is its affordability and practicality—achieved through innovative engineering and clever use of machine learning.
The project was inspired by an existing open-source initiative called the 'Plastic Scanner'. Kyle re-designed the device from the ground up to address limitations in the original concept, ultimately creating the best prototype to date. Unlike traditional spectroscopic methods that rely on expensive optical filters, Kyle’s scanner uses low-cost infrared LEDs and a photodiode to measure reflected light at select wavelengths. This data is then fed into a custom machine learning model to classify the plastic type.
A key advancement introduced in Kyle’s project was the superimposition of adjacent LED light sources at varying intensities. This technique significantly enhanced the device’s reliability by increasing the data points available for analysis, without adding cost or complexity. Additionally, Kyle designed the device to be lightweight, battery-powered, and built with readily available components, making it an accessible solution for testing and development in regions with limited resources. By addressing challenges in plastic recycling with an accessible and cost-effective solution, Kyle’s project reflects a broader drive toward sustainability, perfectly aligning with Greenroom Robotics’ mission to create safer and cleaner oceans through innovative technology.
Kyle’s work was first recognised by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Rapido innovation hub, where he received the UTS Future Innovator Award and achieved the highest mark for his project. This recognition ultimately led to his nomination for Engineers Australia's Student of the Year Award, which he went on to win. These awards reflect both the technical complexity of Kyle’s thesis and the problem-solving required to create a practical prototype. Developing the custom hardware, machine learning model, and software interface required expertise across multiple engineering disciplines—a level of skill that Kyle continues to bring to his work at Greenroom Robotics.
Reflecting on the recognition, Kyle shares,
“I feel so honoured to have received this award and recognition for my efforts in my Engineering Honours Thesis. This project was a real passion project of mine and represents hundreds of hours of research, design, development, and testing. Modern plastic identification technology is either very expensive and inaccessible, or it is crude and inflexible for widespread application. More development is needed, but the technology explored in this thesis project could help increase the feasibility and adoption of plastic recycling.”
At Greenroom Robotics, we’re fortunate to have team members like Kyle, whose technical expertise and innovative thinking contribute to the solutions we deliver for our clients. While his thesis addressed a specific sustainability challenge, the principles of problem-solving, ingenuity, and technical proficiency transfer to the work he does with us every day.
Kyle’s recognition by Engineers Australia is well-deserved, and we’re proud to celebrate his success. It shows how practical and innovative engineering can be a force for positive change, a value the entire Greenroom team brings to every project. Congratulations, Kyle, on this remarkable achievement—we can’t wait to see what you’ll accomplish next!