Shaan Salian and Mark Strîmbu, students at the Grigore Moisil High School of Computer Science in Iași, have turned a bold idea into a remarkable innovation with international impact. Their project, Pickabot – an autonomous waste collection robot – was recognised at the highest level at the International Science and Engineering Fest (IFEST) 2025 in Tunisia, where it won the Award of Excellence and the Silver Medal. More than just an invention, Pickabot is a symbol of environmental responsibility and sustainable thinking, and in recognition of their outstanding contribution, Shaan and Mark were included in the 2025 edition of the national campaign ‘100 Youngsters for Romania's Development’, run by the Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania.
Pickabot is more than just a prototype, having received the special Gold Medal Youth Rising Star award at the EUROINVENT exhibition. It is a vision for the future of smart cities. Using cutting-edge technologies – YOLOv3 artificial intelligence for waste detection, ROS Melodic for system control and Jetson Nano for AI integration in robotics – the robot can detect, collect, store and transport waste from urban or industrial environments, including hard-to-reach areas.
With a tracked chassis, a 6-axis robotic arm and a collection container with a compaction system, Pickabot operates autonomously in a predefined area. Its smart cameras identify waste, and control algorithms calculate the optimal trajectory, coordinating each movement of the robotic arm for efficient collection.
Shaan and Mark were not satisfied with a theoretical solution, knowing that over 2.01 billion tonnes of waste are produced annually, of which approximately 670 million tonnes remain uncollected globally. They worked for months, learning complex concepts such as ROS, MoveIT, and robotics operating systems from scratch, while applying skills they had already mastered, such as object-oriented programming, 3D modelling, and 3D printing. Through their participation in IFEST 2025, Shaan and Mark have shown that Romania not only has exceptional talent, but also real potential to become a hub for innovation and technology. Pickabot is an example of how education, creativity and civic engagement can give rise to solutions that change the world.
