At CES, AI-powered garbage trucks reduce battery fire risk [Video]

From laptops to EVs, lithium-ion batteries have fueled phenomenal growth in the 21st century, but businesses struggle with a significant downside: increased fire risk.

At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), companies unveiled a next-generation garbage truck designed to detect these highly flammable batteries.

The innovation comes as careless disposal of batteries from smartphones, electric toothbrushes, and other gadgets has become an acute problem at recycling centers. The owner of a New Jersey recycling plant that caught fire early Thursday pointed to the batteries as a likely cause.

In the United States, across the industry, “a couple of recycling centers burn down every year,” said Jon Vander Ark, chief executive of waste management company Republic Services.

Republic showcased their solution at CES: a state-of-the-art garbage truck built by industrial company Oshkosh that screens for the batteries.

The vehicle resembles a conventional garbage truck, weighing in at more than 41,000 pounds …