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From lab to industrial scale, Matvision’s robotic metal sorting
2026, February 19 - Matvision is developing automated sorting machines for industrial metal waste, combining artificial intelligence, robotics and advanced sensors. Accelerated within A6K, the company collaborates notably with Groupe Comet.
Founded at the end of 2023 by four engineers - Godefroid Dislaire, Thibault Mohring, David Bastin and Robert Baudinet - Matvision focuses on a high-value segment: the recycling of industrial metals, and more specifically the sorting of industrial metal waste.
In the collective imagination, ‘waste’ mainly refers to plastic bottles and pizza boxes. But that represents only a small part of what we produce. The rest consists of industrial waste, construction waste, water treatment residues, and they are largely invisible to the general public.
The company addresses a complex challenge: sorting shredded, oxidised, dusty and sometimes greasy metal waste — materials that are difficult to identify “by eye”.
Multi-sensor technology
At the core of Matvision’s approach is a material “vision” system that goes far beyond a simple camera.
“What often exists on the market are robots equipped with webcam-type cameras. That works to recognise highly identifiable objects. But in metals, we sort shredded, dirty and mixed materials. Colour alone is not enough,” says the CEO.
Matvision’s solution combines multiple sensors and artificial intelligence:
- laser for shape detection
- cameras for visual nuances and signatures
- X-rays to analyse density
Each sensor provides a piece of information. The AI system then learns to distinguish between copper, aluminium, zinc, brass and other metals, even when everything appears “grey”. The system relies on supervised learning: the algorithm is trained on batches of metals and learns to recognise the characteristics that define each category.
The start-up addresses an industrial reality: the lack of solutions that are both effective and economically viable for sorting certain metal mixtures.
Strategic and environmental challenge
According to Matvision, around 20 million tonnes of metal waste are exported each year, generating significant ecological impact due to transportation. In the current geopolitical context, the issue is also strategic: exporting resources such as steel, copper and aluminium, all essential to industry, while facing supply constraints.
For recyclers, the benefit is twofold:
- sorting locally to supply local metallurgical industries
- increasing material value
A mixed batch of metals is worth less than separated fractions. Recovering and selling copper, aluminium or zinc individually increases overall revenue compared to selling mixed material.
Powered Metal Sorting: Inside Matvision’s Robotic Revolution
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Groupe Comet, a key industrial partner
Collaboration with Groupe Comet has played a central role in the project’s development.
An initial system was developed in Liège, followed by a request from Comet for an industrial-scale version. The industrial line, installed at Comet since 2023, marked a significant step forward. While the laboratory prototype operated with three robots, the industrial version integrates 18 robots on a sorting line designed to process large volumes.
At the end of the line, robots automatically deposit sorted metals into dedicated containers — copper in one, aluminium in another, and so on.
Today, Matvision ensures maintenance and further development around this installation. As Robert Baudinet notes, the creation of the company was necessary to industrialise and sustain the technology beyond its academic origins.
Acceleration
Large-scale robotic sorting requires significant investment, up to €10 million for a complete line. Clients can test their materials on the Liège line, assess performance and then dimension a system adapted to their needs.
While the technology is advanced, the founders acknowledge having strengthened their commercial capabilities. This led them to anchor their development at A6K, chosen for its specialised industrial support and access to potential prospects.
After an initial prospecting phase, Matvision is accelerating. In January 2026, the company signed its first contract with a French recycler for a three-robot machine. In parallel, it secured €500,000 in funding to reinforce its team and support commercial growth.
The objective is to deploy the technology at a larger European scale, limit raw material exports and improve reliability in a sector where sorting is still often manual.
As the CEO summarises, the goal is to keep resources locally and bring the technology out of the laboratory and into industry.
↘︎ Read the related article in La Nouvelle Gazette, SudInfo, by Marine Giacometti for additional perspectives and insights.
