11th Grader Todd Zhou Helps Save the Earth with Innovative AI Technology Recycling App

The app, Wall-T Recycling, was formally recognized by Congressman, David Trone; wins 2nd place in Congressional App Challenge

POTOMAC, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES, April 22, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — 11th grade student, Todd Zhou, is pleased to announce he has won 2nd place in the coveted Congressional App Challenge in his district for his sustainable Wall-T Recycling app.

Todd Zhou is a third-year student at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Maryland. As one of the top students in his class, Todd has won an exceptional amount of academic and artistic awards in both his school and personal life. In fact, Todd’s Computer Science teacher has described him as having superior intelligence in STEM, showing incredible enthusiasm for innovation, and boasts excellent problem-solving skills:

“Todd is also a great leader. He continuously teaches CS and Technology at a weekend school for 3 years. Additionally, he led and mentored a group of kids to develop various environmental-themed software Apps last year.”

Having won 2nd place in the prestigious Congressional App Challenge, Todd was recognized by Congressman David Trone, for his sustainable recycling app, Wall-T Recycling. The Congressional App Challenge is a method of engaging student creativity and encouraging participation in STEM education fields. As a result of his win, the app has been published on the Apple App Store, tying in perfectly with Earth Day on April 22, 2022.

“I am a big fan of both environment and technology,” Todd says. “I have always wanted to help with recycling using my tech skills and I’ve been quite worried that people’s lack of recycling (putting trash items into recycle bins) hinders work efficiency at sorting centers and damages our recycling system. To combat this issue, I developed a recycling app using AI detection models to help recycle correctly. I am eager to share my stories from a high schooler’s view and want the public to have more attention to recycling and recycling correctly – and to know more about how AI and other technologies help!”

The idea for Wall-T Recycling came to Todd last fall as a way to encourage and help people properly recycle and save planet Earth. According to Todd, recycling is the top action society can do to improve the environment, the economy, and sustainable manufacturing. However, these are in crisis throughout the U.S., due to public confusion about recycling. When the wrong materials get mixed in with the right ones (called “contamination” in the recycling world), it reduces the value of other recyclables. Wall-T is intelligently helping users to fulfill the recycling tasks by providing the features of:

1. Recyclable items detection and classification.

2. Recycling symbol (resin code) detection and educational guide.

3. Recycling center locator.

4. Recycling knowledge and news.

In the future, Todd plans to create a 2.0 version by adding a tracking and rewarding system for users. With the tracking system, recyclers can earn points in the app based on how many items they scan using the app and how many right items they recycle manually by themselves. The more points they earn, the higher users’ levels are, with time series graphs being created to visualize the trends of users’ recycling over time. The different users’ levels link to different environmental pictures reflecting how much they could help the world, which act as virtual rewards. This will initiate a “friendly community-wide recycling competition” which, in turn, encourages users to recycle more with the right items.

For more information about Todd’s Wall-T Recycling app, or to download, please visit https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1589714989.

About Todd Zhou

Todd Zhou is an exceptionally talented 11th grade student at Winston Churchill High School, Maryland. As a top student, Todd has won numerous academic awards, including USA Computing Olympiad Platinum Division Winner, RSI Research Science Institute Scholar (only 80 of the world’s most accomplished high schoolers got picked), and first place in Computer Science Category at ScienceMONTGOMERY (Regeneron ISEF-affiliated science fair), among others. Additionally, Todd has been the recipient of further awards in the areas of community service, videography, photography, art, and music – making him one of the most well-rounded students in the world.

Todd Zhou
Winston Churchill High School
[email protected]