An AI-Driven Smart Mobile System for Medical-Waste Collection and Segregation

Sorting and collecting medical waste by hand can be error-prone. Some objects go to the wrong bin, bins can become overfilled, pickups can be late, and vehicles may have to take a longer route than necessary. This paper describes a mobile platform that makes use of AI-based waste classification, IoT-based bin monitoring, route planning, and tracking. An image classifier determines what items are thrown away, while ultrasonic sensors keep track of how full each bin is. When one of the bins is almost full, it notifies the staff, who can then request a pickup. The management can approve the request and a suggested route to the collector can be made. Each object can be given an ID and by using GPS technology, the transport of the waste from pickup to its final destination can be tracked. The prototype makes use of free and open-source tools, keeping testing costs low, and the system can scale from one hospital to many.