Impressing a panel of 18 judges in a gruelling four-and-a-half-hour interview process, local inventor Sam Rogers, won two awards at the prestigious International Science and Engineering Fair, (ISEF) which was held virtually from the United States in May.
At just 15 years old, Sam was one of the youngest entrants showcasing his AI – powered Electronic Waste Sorting Robotic Arm among some of the best youth projects from around the world in his 14 to 18 age-group category.
Awarded third place in the “Advancement of Artificial Intelligence” category, which had a total of 1800 entries, and second place in the category of Environmental Engineering, Sam took home a prize pool of $3000 US.
“The judges were a lot nicer than I thought they would be!” said Sam.
“They asked a lot of questions, but it was less scary than I thought and there was a lot of encouragement for getting a patent which was really exciting.”
The impressive Robotic Arm, which is a prototype for what Sam hopes could revolutionise the process of recycling, took two years to build and was an independent project that he funded himself.
The arm is ‘trained’ to detect electronic waste on a conveyor belt of general waste and pick up items that can be recycled.
It is estimated that 40 million tonnes of electronic waste are generated in the world each year and, although this represents only two per cent of the overall waste, it accounts for 70 per cent of the overall toxic waste.
“Growing up here in the Whitsundays instilled some strong environmental values in me,” explained Sam.
“We’ve also got a massive pollution problem in the world and I want to help in any way I can.”
When asked what he will do with his prize money, Sam said he has already registered a business name and hopes to invest further in the robotics industry.
“I’m not quite sure what I will do yet, but I am looking at something in the agricultural sector,” he said.
“I haven’t decided what I will do with the robotic arm yet either, it might become part of my portfolio for now.”
Competing in the ISEF opened many opportunities for Sam, including a $30,000 scholarship to Virginia Commonwealth University.
While he is pleased with the acknowledgement, he said that he would be looking at other universities, his dream of studying at MIT still within his sites.
In the meantime, Sam is dedicated to his studies at Proserpine State High School and is hoping to participate in an Australian Droid and Robotics summer internship soon.
Proserpine State High School student Sam Rogers brings home international award
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