The adoption of robotics in pack houses for fresh produce handling

IF 1.7 4区农林科学 Q2 HORTICULTURE

Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology Pub Date : 2023-10-10 DOI:10.1080/14620316.2023.2247835

Barry J Mulholland, Pardeep S Panesar, Philip H Johnson

{"title":"The adoption of robotics in pack houses for fresh produce handling","authors":"Barry J Mulholland, Pardeep S Panesar, Philip H Johnson","doi":"10.1080/14620316.2023.2247835","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Fresh produce handling, particularly in final inspection and pack, is highly dependent on dextrous human labour. As part of a relatively low-profit margin industry, rising wage costs and labour shortages are impacting the viability of this sector and are a direct threat to global food security. Adoption of robotics is required to automate delicate handling tasks; this is a key goal for sustainable and profitable businesses that supply packed produce to consumers. This mini review considers the state of the art, as well as any developments required in robotic technology for the automation of inspection and packing of whole unprocessed fresh produce. There is a particular focus on robotic end effectors for the handling of fresh produce. We consider the role of soft robotics research in meeting hygiene and safety requirements, as well as the current limited range of end effectors for handling of highly varied and delicate produce types. Future directions are discussed based on the observation of available current technology available in research and the application to commercial practice.","PeriodicalId":54808,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology","volume":"123 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2023-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14620316.2023.2247835","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"HORTICULTURE","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Fresh produce handling, particularly in final inspection and pack, is highly dependent on dextrous human labour. As part of a relatively low-profit margin industry, rising wage costs and labour shortages are impacting the viability of this sector and are a direct threat to global food security. Adoption of robotics is required to automate delicate handling tasks; this is a key goal for sustainable and profitable businesses that supply packed produce to consumers. This mini review considers the state of the art, as well as any developments required in robotic technology for the automation of inspection and packing of whole unprocessed fresh produce. There is a particular focus on robotic end effectors for the handling of fresh produce. We consider the role of soft robotics research in meeting hygiene and safety requirements, as well as the current limited range of end effectors for handling of highly varied and delicate produce types. Future directions are discussed based on the observation of available current technology available in research and the application to commercial practice.

查看原文本刊更多论文

在包装仓库中采用机器人技术处理新鲜农产品

新鲜农产品的处理，特别是在最终检验和包装过程中，高度依赖于灵巧的人力。作为利润率相对较低的行业的一部分，工资成本上升和劳动力短缺正在影响该行业的生存能力，并对全球粮食安全构成直接威胁。需要采用机器人技术来自动化精细的处理任务;这是为消费者提供包装产品的可持续和盈利企业的关键目标。这篇迷你评论考虑了最新的技术，以及机器人技术在整个未加工新鲜农产品的自动化检查和包装方面的任何发展。有一个特别关注的机器人末端执行器处理新鲜农产品。我们考虑软机器人研究在满足卫生和安全要求方面的作用，以及目前有限范围的末端执行器，用于处理高度多样化和精致的产品类型。基于对现有研究技术和商业实践应用的观察，讨论了未来的发展方向。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology 农林科学-园艺

CiteScore

3.90

自引率

5.30%

发文量

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology is an international, peer-reviewed journal, which publishes original research contributions into the production, improvement and utilisation of horticultural crops. It aims to provide scientific knowledge of interest to those engaged in scientific research and the practice of horticulture. The scope of the journal includes studies on fruit and other perennial crops, vegetables and ornamentals grown in temperate or tropical regions and their use in commercial, amenity or urban horticulture. Papers, including reviews, that give new insights into plant and crop growth, yield, quality and response to the environment, are welcome, including those arising from technological innovation and developments in crop genome sequencing and other biotechnological advances.