Recycling ATM - ECO - ATMby | 21-09-2012 10:31 |
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 A recycling ATM offers gadget freaks the option to trade in their discarded mobile phones for cash, rather than dumping them when they go in for the latest model. Californian company ecoATM has rolled out the machine that is sophisticated enough to see if a screen is cracked, evaluate unwanted goods for resale and recycling - hoping to inspire people to go green. Old gadgets still have a value as either an affordable alternative, spare parts, or even melted down for the residual value of the metals inside. ecoATM has developed the device with support from the US National Science Foundation (NSF). Using artificial intelligence (AI) ecoATM kiosks can differentiate varied consumer electronics products and determine a market value. If the value is acceptable, users have the option of receiving cash or store credit for their trade - or donating all or part of the compensation to one of several charities. The company's databases are now trained with images of more than 4,000 devices, and when an identification mistake occurs, the system learns from that mistake. When a phone is presented, the AI system conducts a visual inspection, identifies the device model and provides one of 23 possible connector cables to link it to the network. A value is then determined based on the company's real-time, worldwide, pre-auction system in which a broad network of buyers have already bid on the old technology, so the kiosk can immediately provide compensation. |
