“We will have an actual physical facility in Grand Rapids and we’re in final stages of site selection now.”
Todd Thomas is the Founder and CEO of Woodchuck.AI, a biomass processor. But what exactly is biomass processing?
“Specifically what Woodchuck is doing is we are diverting wood out of waste streams from construction companies and manufacturing companies, so we’re reducing their waste, we’re taking all of that wood and instead of sending it to landfills, we turn it into biomass and turn it into renewable, clean energy.”
So how does the artificial intelligence come into play? It’s called deep image recognition AI.
“And what that does is it allows us to identify materials, identify contaminants, and determine kind of the highest, best use of that material and how we process it to reach that highest, best use.”
In other words, the AI helps decide the best use for the waste wood. Wood that can be thoroughly cleaned can be recycled into new construction material, like particle board. If it can’t be cleaned, it can be turned into renewable, clean energy.
The company started less than a year ago in Detroit. Economic nonprofit development organization The Right Place helped Woodchuck.AI settle on Grand Rapids for their new headquarters.
