Current recycling process chains involve time-consuming manual and therefore often uneconomical work. This is where the ZIRKEL research project comes in. The aim is to sustainably increase productivity and cost-effectiveness in the dismantling, separation and cutting process of traction battery systems and electric motors in order to identify the optimal ecological and economic recycling route for each product and to completely close the material cycles as a result. This includes the development of resilient systems that are able to react flexibly to different products and conditions using artificial intelligence, image recognition and intelligent control. In addition, digital methods (product passport) are required to track the recycled components. In addition to the development of automated solutions for dismantling the components with the help of AI algorithms and computer vision, the project is also developing strategies for reuse in the vehicle, repurposing, refurbishment, remanufacturing and recycling.