Smart sorting : The next leap in smart sorting: unified AI across the entire recycling system
For years, automation in material recovery facilities has been applied one piece of equipment at a time. Machinex, a North American manufacturer with over 55 years in the recycling sector, is now challenging that approach with the launch of MIND™, a unified AI platform unveiled at IFAT Munich 2026 in May.
Rather than optimising individual machines, MIND™ is designed to extend intelligence across multiple units simultaneously, combining computer vision, machine learning, and real-time decision-making to detect and classify materials, translate insights into actions, and continuously improve overall system performance.
"The future of recycling isn't just automation, it's intelligent systems. For years, intelligence has been applied to one machine at a time. With MIND™, we're extending that intelligence across multiple units into a unified system, moving beyond individual equipment," said Chris Hawn, CEO of Machinex Technologies. "It gives operators the control and insight needed to manage complexity, improve performance, and make smarter decisions in real time."
Precision separation at scale
Central to the MIND™ launch is a new piece of hardware: MIND AirPulse™, a pneumatic sorting unit driven by the same Machinex-engineered AI. Designed for material recovery and advanced quality control, the separator translates AI-generated decisions into high-speed physical sorting actions, achieving more than 20 times the throughput of a manual sorter.
MIND™ is integrated across Machinex's broader equipment family, which includes the SamurAI® sorting robot, the Hyspec MIND™ AI-enhanced optical sorter, MIND AirPulse™, and MIND Vision™. Operating as a closed-loop intelligence system, the platform allows material recovery facilities (MRFs) to adapt to evolving material streams while maintaining efficiency and consistency.
Meeting the demands of modern waste recovery
The timing of the launch reflects mounting pressure on recycling operations across the industry. Facilities are grappling with increasingly complex material streams, higher purity requirements, and growing regulatory demands for traceability and compliance. Machinex positions MIND™ as a direct response to these challenges, offering operators greater control, improved efficiency, and actionable insights across an entire sorting system.
"Everything we do starts with understanding our customers' reality and how we can help them achieve their recycling goals," said Pierre Paré, President and owner of Machinex Group. "MIND™ brings together the legacy of 55 years of innovation into a single intelligent platform designed to simplify operations and improve performance. It reinforces our commitment to deliver reliable performance and to stand alongside our customers as a partner they can trust."
The platform is not a new concept in development — MIND™ has been deployed and tested in live operating facilities since 2019, giving the technology a seven-year track record before its formal public unveiling.
A long-term vision for circular economy infrastructure
Founded in the 1980s as one of the first companies in North America to design machinery specifically for MRFs, Machinex has built its reputation on engineering, manufacturing, and installing its own recycling technologies. The company has delivered hundreds of turnkey systems in partnership with major waste management operators across Canada, the United States, Europe, and Australia.
With MIND™, the company positions itself not merely as an equipment supplier, but as a long-term technology partner — one seeking to help the industry navigate a period of significant operational and regulatory change through intelligent, system-wide solutions.