Wright State wins $3M NSF grant for recyclofacturing

Wright State University professors Sean Banerjee and Natasha Banerjee have been awarded nearly $3 million from the National Science Foundation to develop “recyclofacturing,” an AI-driven system to convert scrap metal into specified parts over a four-year grant period.

• Main action & scope: Wright State is the lead institution on a nearly $3 million NSF research grant (four-year project) to build an AI-trained design system and a multi-plant dashboard enabling plants to fabricate requested parts from scrap metal (sources: refrigerators, washing machines, grill lids). The team will procure equipment and involve undergraduate and graduate students in research and implementation.
• Partners, timeline & outputs: The project includes partner universities Santa Clara University, Chapman University, and Clarkson University; the team aims to produce a public blueprint at the end of four years for wider adoption (Ohio, U.S. scale, or beyond). This is reported as the second-largest NSF research grant Wright State has received.