SADAKO TECHNOLOGIES SL

Their core work

Sadako Technologies is a Spanish AI and robotics SME specialising in machine vision and artificial intelligence for waste sorting and recycling automation. Their core product line applies computer vision and AI perception to identify, classify, and sort waste streams — including complex WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) — in industrial recycling facilities. In their coordinator role on RUBSEE they pushed AI-driven sorting beyond conventional approaches, and as a partner on HR-Recycler they contributed AI perception and smart mechatronics to a hybrid human-robot WEEE disassembly line. In practical terms, they build the "eyes and brain" that let recycling plants work faster, more accurately, and with less human exposure to hazardous materials.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

With only two projects and a narrow one-year gap between their start dates (2017 and 2018), the evolution is more about deepening than shifting. Their first project, RUBSEE, established AI-based waste sorting as their identity — but it produced no tagged keywords, suggesting the work was exploratory or proprietary at that stage. By HR-Recycler their expertise had crystallised into a named technical stack: AI perception, smart mechatronics, factory orchestration, and human-robot collaboration. The direction of travel is clear: from standalone AI sorting software toward integrated human-robot production systems for the circular economy.

Sadako is moving from pure AI perception software toward full system integration — combining robotics, human-machine workflow design, and factory orchestration — positioning them as a potential end-to-end technology provider for automated recycling plants.

How they like to work

Sadako has demonstrated both leadership and partnership, coordinating RUBSEE as a solo champion of the concept and joining a larger consortium for HR-Recycler as a specialist contributor. Their average consortium on the participant project was mid-sized, reflecting typical RIA structure. With 13 unique partners across 8 countries from just two projects, they build new relationships rather than recycling the same network — suggesting they actively seek complementary capabilities rather than staying in a fixed circle.

Sadako has worked with 13 distinct partners across 8 European countries despite having only two projects — a high partner-diversity ratio for an SME of this size. Their network spans both innovation-scheme (SME-2) and research (RIA) project types, giving them connections in both the industrial and academic research communities.

What sets them apart

Sadako occupies an unusually specific niche: AI perception and robotics applied exclusively to waste and recycling, with hands-on experience coordinating an SME Instrument project — a highly competitive grant few small companies win. Unlike generic robotics firms or AI software houses, their entire track record is in the circular economy and WEEE sector, which means they bring domain knowledge (waste stream characterisation, regulatory context, hazardous material handling) that a generalist AI vendor would lack. For consortia targeting EU Green Deal or circular economy calls, they offer both technical credibility and SME eligibility in a single partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• RUBSEE
  Sadako coordinated this SME Instrument Phase 2 project — one of the EU's most competitive SME grants — signalling that their AI sorting technology was judged commercially viable and ready for market scale-up.
• HR-Recycler
  This RIA project combined human-robot collaboration with WEEE disassembly in a single plant, and Sadako's contribution of AI perception and smart mechatronics shows their capability extends beyond software into integrated robotic systems.