Fig. 5: Detritus extraction experiments.

a Experiment setup. Seeds are sent to the accept bin to the right of the barrier. Stones and sticks are sent to the reject bin to the left. b (i) In the first experiment 30 seeds, 19 stones and 46 sticks are loaded onto the conveyor belt and passed through the ejection system. Of these, 23 seeds and 17 sticks are retained in the accept bin and the rest of the objects are rejected. (ii) The contents of the accept bin are then passed back through the ejection system. (iii) Of these, 22 seeds and 3 sticks are retained. This experiment results in an 88% purity and a 73% yield. c (i) In the second experiment 50 seeds, 60 stones and 80 sticks are loaded onto the conveyor belt and passed through the ejection system. Of these, 39 seeds, 3 stones, and 32 sticks are retained in the accept bin and the rest of the objects are rejected. (ii) The contents of the accept bin are then passed back through the ejection system. (iii) Of these, 34 seeds and 11 sticks are retained. This experiment results in a 75% purity and a 68% yield.