Scrap Science app includes training aspects

Arcadia, California-based Doctor Scrap says its new Scrap Science app enables metal recycling facilities to quickly identify scrap metals, including wire and cable varieties, through image recognition via a smartphone.

The company says its app taps into artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to offer “a practical, mobile-first alternative” to traditional material identification methods such as the use of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers.

“It's more than a tool to identify cable recovery, providing more information like definitions, tips and real-time market prices,” Doctor Scrap says of its new app.

CEO Thomas Tan says many recycling companies rely on experienced veterans to train newcomers through "time-intensive, in-person guidance.”

Scrap Science can accelerate the process of on-the-job training, according to Doctor Scrap.

“New workers will get the hang of their tasks quickly just by taking a photo and then receiving instant results,” the company says. “In other words, what used to be veteran know-how is now accessible in your pocket.”

In terms of facility quality control, Scrap Science users can standardize knowledge that was previously difficult to replicate or scale, ensuring consistency in classification even as facilities undergo employee turnover, according to the company.

Beyond materials identification, employers can use the Scrap Science app to assess and track progress of materials knowledge among its employees, including via quiz-based learning, potentially contributing to workforce pay scale and promotion decisions.

“This system offers transparency for both employers and employees,” the company says, adding that Scrap Science “supports fairer promotion and compensation structures and helps protect against disputes when making workforce adjustments.”

Scrap Science uses AI to analyze cross-sectional images of wires, instantly identifying the copper recovery potential. The company says the app thus offers consistent identification that doesn’t rely on subjective judgment.

Additionally, app users can snap a photo or upload images of scrap materials to instantly check real-time market prices, according to the company, tapping into the app’s data set of more than 200 subcategories of scrap metal grades.

“At just $10 per month, it’s cheaper than lunch and more scalable than hiring another trainer," Doctor Scrap says.

The firm says the app can work on any smartphone and thus can be used in the yard or by a truck driver on a route or assignment.

Tan says his company is planning future updates to Scrap Science that will include detailed red metal grades identification for sorting, the ability to calculate the aluminum and red metal percentages within zorba for more precise material pricing, and a baled and loose mixed insulated copper wire copper recovery calculation feature.

“With these updates, Scrap Science will further enhance the accuracy and profitability of scrap metal recycling, driving the future of the industry with AI,” Doctor Scrap says.