Simple Weight Sort

The goal of this prototype was to sort waste/recycling (whichever application) by weight; this would allow things to be (roughly) sorted into plastics/papers and metals/glass. While it would’ve been more accurate to use some kind of sensor to attempt to verify the exact composition of a given product (such as a glass shard, which would potentially be too light) part of the goal was to do the weight sensing in an unobtrusive manner (not requiring power). This prototype successfully sorts input waste closely to what was desired by using a single spring (along with some springiness from the zip-ties used as hinges). Shown in the below pictures are a piece tissue paper sorted to the left and an external battery (heavy, casing made of aluminum) sorted to the right. The entry should allow for more clearance, but due to material availability/sizing constraints the prototype only works with relatively small objects.