Avenues for non-conventional robotics technology applications in the food industry

Derossi, A.; Palma, E. Di; Moses, J.A.; Santhoshkumar, P.; Caporizzi, Rossella; Severini, C.

doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113265

Cited by 8 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 173 publications

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“…Hence, the utilization of manipulators, commonly referred to as robots, in manufacturing is highly prevalent due to their ability to fulfill the aforementioned criteria [5][6][7][8][9]. Robots possess numerous benefits, particularly in terms of their superior quality and precision [10][11][12][13][14][15]. Additionally, they offer significant economic efficiency and are capable of substances not only emit an unpleasant odor, but they are also potent drugs that can cause significant harm if mishandled.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a prototype of weeding robot

Nguyen,

Tung

2024

Eng. Res. Express

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Weeds, or wild grasses, are naturally occurring grasses that grow in the wild without human cultivation. Weeds have detrimental effects on soil and crops, including competing with crops for space, nutrients, light, and moisture in the soil, which ultimately reduces crop productivity. Typically, herbicides are used to eliminate weeds, but all of these chemicals carry a potential threat to human well-being. This article presents a detailed plan for building a DELTA robot that is specifically engineered to eliminate weeds in agricultural environments. This article presents a systematic approach encompassing research, kinematics calculation, robot control, and the fabrication of a weed-killing robot prototype. The article proposes a prototype of a weed-killing robot with simple operation suitable for Vietnam's economic conditions. The experiments show that the robot can effectively remove different types of weeds from lettuce fields. The results show that the proposed prototype is completely capable of replacing humans, helping to improve productivity as well as protect health and help farmers avoid unwanted effects from herbicide chemicals.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a prototype of weeding robot

Nguyen,

Tung

2024

Eng. Res. Express

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A Soft‐Containing Gripper for High‐Speed Handling of Breadcrumb‐Coated Oysters

Zhang,

Wang,

Kutani

et al. 2024

Journal of Field Robotics

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Soft grippers have been developed for handling a diverse array of objects, particularly excelling in grasping deformable and soft food items due to their soft and flexible nature, which is essential for preventing damage. However, the development of soft grippers capable of operating at extremely high speeds, typically achieving a pick‐and‐place cycle in less than 1 s, remains underexplored. Addressing this gap, this study proposes a pneumatic soft gripper designed for the high‐speed handling of breadcrumb‐coated oysters and demonstrates its feasibility for application in food production lines. The proposed gripper consists of two soft fingers and a soft cushion positioned between them. The geometries of the soft fingers and the cushion were meticulously designed to securely contain the oyster. Finite element analysis (FEA) was employed to investigate the effects of gripper stiffness on the swaying motion, stress, and deformation experienced by the grasped soft object under high acceleration. The fabrication of the soft finger and cushion was accomplished using a liquid silicone 3D printer, and the durability of the soft finger was confirmed to exceed 1.6 million cycles, comparable to that of a suction pad. Food compatibility tests were conducted to ensure the suitability for handling food products. Feasibility tests on the automatic packaging of breadcrumb‐coated oysters were performed using a parallel robot, examining five operating speeds, two applied pressures, and three oyster orientations. The results indicated that the proposed soft gripper could achieve maximum operational speeds of approximately 90 oysters/min for 16 g oysters and 80 oysters/min for 40 g oysters, thereby outperforming human workers and a commercial soft gripper. Through FEA and packaging experiments, it was determined that there exists an optimal stiffness for the soft gripper when handling the breadcrumb‐coated oysters under high acceleration.

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