Food Robotics - Page 4

Robotic meat cutting, like other food and beverage applications, utilizes vision to accomplish its chore. KUKA’s systems employs infrared scanning of pigs and cows prior to robotic butchering. Again, KUKA’s William Willard: ‘‘KUKA does infrared scanning of the body to make a three-dimensional image of it. Internal algorithms determine where the cut needs to be made,’‘ Willard says. ‘‘The robot’s software is interpolating exactly the carcass’s precise position and where the robot’s arm has to be to take a certain action.’‘

Laxmi Musunur of FANUC also says robotics have a role in cutting meat. ‘‘A large piece of meat is on a moving conveyor. A vision system using a laser scanner determines the meat’s topography and cuts a perfect slice out of it,’‘ Musunur says.

‘‘With the availability of integrated vision (robot vision built-in to the robot controller) it’s now very easy to incorporate vision into a wide range of applications,’‘ added Musunur.  FANUC Robotics’ has an integrated vision system that can be applied to virtually any picking, packing or palletizing application.
 
On the beverage side of food robots, Motoman Inc., West Carrollton, Ohio, offers several unique RoboBar service robot systems for dispensing beverages. RoboBar is available in high-production, entertainment and a non-alcohol versions, each designed to fill a particular market niche. Ron Potter, Motoman's Senior Director of Emerging Markets, describes each of them. ‘‘Motoman's RoboBar HP (high production) model is meant for high-volume service bars in places like casinos, cruise ships or airports. It can mix hundreds of recipes of drinks through dispensing guns that pump the liquor and mixes, and can also add ice, if desired.’‘ Potter gives an example of a mixed drink order. ‘‘If a customer wanted a Long Island iced tea, a server would place the order through a touch screen. RoboBar HP would mix the six ingredients, perfectly portioned, in
about twenty seconds.’‘

The incentive for service bars and casinos to invest in RoboBar HP stems from the fact it can work around the clock and do the equivalent work of four bartenders. Another version of RoboBar, NA or non-alcohol model, dispenses hot drinks such as coffee, espresso, cappuccino, and lattes. Furthermore, RoboBar NA serves up sodas, fruit juices and other non-alcoholic beverages. Motoman has sold a RoboBar NA to a company in Dubai, where it is being installed in a futuristic office building. Finally, the RoboBar E (entertainment model), pours cocktails directly from liquor bottles and one is in the process of being set up in Harrods Department Store in London, according to Potter. ‘‘RoboBar E generally uses one arm to pick up a glass and add ice while the other arm pours or dispenses,’‘ says Potter.

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