Robot that automatically de-bones chickens
Robot that automatically de-bones chickens
2012-10-16 source:DailyMail
Cutting edge technology: Robot that automatically de-bones chickens could save poultry businesses millions per year
If a robot can de-bone a chicken, there is little it cannot do.For the precise surgeon cuts needed to get meat from poultry, the ability to work around unique characteristics of each bird, and the advanced 3D awareness to know exactly where to cut are all highly-advanced skills which are at the cutting edge of robotic research.
Now a team at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) has developed a prototype system that uses advanced imaging technology and a robotic cutting arm to automatically do the job - and it could revolutionise the poultry market.
Gary McMurray, chief of GTRI’s food processing technology division, said: 'Each bird is unique in its size and shape.'So we have developed the sensing and actuation needed to allow an automated de-boning system to adapt to the individual bird, as opposed to forcing the bird to conform to the machine.'
Under the Intelligent Cutting and Deboning System, a bird is positioned in front of the vision system prior to making a cut.The vision system works by making 3-D measurements of various location points on the outside of the bird. Then, using these points as inputs, custom algorithms define a proper cut by estimating the positions of internal structures such as bones and ligaments.
Michael Matthews said: 'Our statistics research shows that our external measurements correlate very well to the internal structure of the birds, and therefore will transition to ideal cutting paths.
'In our prototype device, everything is registered to calibrated reference frames, allowing us to handle all cut geometries and to precisely align the bird and the cutting robot. Being able to test all possible cut geometries should enable us to design a smaller and more simplified final system.'
The prototype uses a fixed two-degree-of-freedom cutting robot for making simple cuts.The bird is mounted on a six-degree-of-freedom robot arm that allows alignment of the bird and cutting robot to any desired position. The robot arm places the bird under the vision system, and then it moves the bird with respect to the cutting robot.
The system employs a force-feedback algorithm that can detect the transition from meat to bone, said research engineer Ai-Ping Hu. That detection capability allows the cutting knife to move along the surface of the bone while maintaining a constant force.
Since ligaments are attached to bone, maintaining contact with the bone allows the knife to cut all the ligaments around the shoulder joint without cutting into the bone itself.A similar approach can be used for other parts of the bird where meat must be separated from bone.
McMurray added: 'Our automated deboning technology can promote food safety, since bone chips are a hazard in boneless breast fillets.'But it can also increase yield, which is significant because every one per cent loss of breast meat represents about $2.5 million to each of Georgia’s 20 poultry processing plants.'
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