As robotic systems (RS) become more autonomous, they are becoming increasingly used in small spaces and offices to automate tasks such as cleaning, infrastructure maintenance, or resource management. In this paper, we propose iTrash, an intelligent trashcan that aims to improve recycling rates in small office spaces. For that, we ran a 5 day experiment and found that iTrash can produce an efficiency increase of more than 30% compared to traditional trashcans. The findings derived from this work, point to the fact that using iTrash not only increase recyclying rates, but also provides valuable data such as users behaviour or bin usage patterns, which cannot be taken from a normal trashcan. This information can be used to predict and optimize some tasks in these spaces. Finally, we explored the potential of using blockchain technology to create economic incentives for recycling, following a Save-as-you-Throw (SAYT) model.

The physical autonomy of robots is well understood both theoretically and practically. By contrast, there is almost no research exploring their potential economic autonomy. In this paper, we present the first economically autonomous robot -- a robot able to produce marketable goods while having full control over the use of its generated income. Gaka-chu ("painter" in Japanese) is a 6-axis robot arm that creates paintings of Japanese characters from an autoselected keyword. By using a blockchain-based smart contract, Gaka-chu can autonomously list a painting it made for sale in an online auction. In this transaction, the robot interacts with the human bidders as a peer not as a tool. Using the blockchain-based smart contract, Gaka-chu can then use its income from selling paintings to replenish its resources by autonomously ordering materials from an online art shop. We built the Gaka-chu prototype with an Ethereum-based smart contract and ran a 6-month long experiment, during which the robot created and sold four paintings, simultaneously using its income to purchase supplies and repay initial investors. In this work, we present the results of the experiments conducted and discuss the implications of economically autonomous robots.