AI Bin - The Solution to Improper Waste Disposal

• 

  Game Screenshot

Inspiration

I decided on the improper recycling/waste disposal issue because it is an issue that people tend to overlook. I too have done it before, so my own personal experiences have inspired me to to create a solution for this issue.

My solution was inspired by the current trends in AI because I believe that AI is the solution for solving our modern-day problems in the future. I had an invention idea about a bin that automatically sorts the waste, and that inspired me to bring my idea to life in this hackathon. I believe that the AI Bin can solve this entire issue of improper waste disposal altogether.

My level design was inspired by the places that this issue poses a threat to, and where I personally seen this issue happen.

What it does

The AI Bin scans the waste that people throw inside and sorts it out into their correct places. It does this by analyzing a variety of images online, so it can learn to identify the type of waste and where it belongs. With this invention, the recycling contamination rate will be reduced significantly!

How we built it

I built the project through a programming language called Scratch, and I learned how to code with it through tutorials that I found online and just by playing around with the coding blocks. Most of the sprites, levels, and sounds were used from an online source. The rest were handmade by me!

Challenges we ran into

There was a variety of issues that I ran into:

The first challenge that I ran into was that it was my first time coding in Scratch, so I had to learn the fundamentals of it and play around with the code.

Time management was a major issue since I only had four days to learn an entire programming language and complete the project with my best effort.

A programming issue that I encountered was trying to make the waste appear, disappear, and be collected by the cat when changing levels (sprite costumes) because when two of them worked, the other one did not. It took some time, but I ended up solving it in the end.

An in-game issue I ran into was the cat getting permanently stuck in some places, so I changed up my level design to solve this issue.

If I had more time, I would solve the collision implementation since the cat would get stuck while going up gentle slopes.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I am proud of myself for learning an entire programming language and developing a fully-functioning game in just four days!

Another accomplishment is taking the time and effort to complete my first-ever hackathon.

I am also proud of myself for not getting frustrated and giving up whenever I ran into a problem with my game, and trying my best to find a solution to the issue.

I am proud of my progress in designing various levels based on waste disposal because it started out as just a bunch of blue squares!

The final accomplishment I am proud of is using a variety of skills to complete this hackathon: researching, planning, designing, learning, programming, testing, video editing, and problem-solving!

What we learned

I learned the fundamentals of Scratch and a variety of skills from my time developing this project which I explained in the accomplishments section. I also gained new insight on the issue of improper recycling/waste disposal. During my time working on the project, I learned a new life skill too: there is no main or correct way to solve a problem, as long as your solution works!

What's next for Hackathon Improper Recycling Game (AI Bin)

Implement better collisions to the game, so the cat doesn't always get stuck and can go up gentle slopes. Fine-tune the level design and add different types of waste to each level (no duplicates). Finally, add more interactive components to the AI Bin and new sounds to go along with it. These are the main implementations that I would add when I work on this project again!

I would like to thank you for this hackathon opportunity as it has helped me build new skills and begin a new chapter in my life. I hope you enjoyed my hackathon project on the AI Bin!

Built With

• audacity
• openshot
• scratch