Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing industrial machinery's capabilities in many ways, and the meat and poultry industry is ready to embrace the technology, according to Precedence Research, a provider of industry and market insights. For example, AI-driven computer vision uses machine learning algorithms and cameras to inspect the quality of processed meat, identifying irregular cuts, defects, and contamination with high precision.

In addition, with AI technology, meat processors can achieve precise carcass classification, automate multiple processing tasks, and assess meat quality with greater accuracy. This advanced technology also can be used to optimize cutting processes and to identify ideal flavor combinations for value-added products.

The red meat sector requires robust robotic systems capable of handling the heavier and larger animal carcasses while ensuring precise cutting, boning, and packaging processes, according to Verified Market Research. Adopting robotics in this domain often focuses on improving hygiene and operational speed, thus minimizing human intervention in potentially hazardous settings.

Smart solutions for poultry processing

The USDA’s Center for Scalable and Intelligent Automation in Poultry Processing (CSI-APP) is working on a project to incorporate advanced robotic, artificial intelligence, digital sensing, biosensing, and food safety technologies to provide U.S. poultry processors with intelligent solutions to meet the rising demand for poultry products, according to the USDA National Agricultural Library.

The project focuses on transforming the current mass manufacturing protocols found in large, centralized processing plants into mass customization protocols suitable for processing plants of different sizes. One goal is to create a scalable, plant-ready, intelligent robotic deboning system capable of performing at parity with (or even exceeding) human deboners for the most skilled task in the plant: shoulder cutting of front-halves.

Another project objective is leveraging human intelligence and robotic endurance to create a virtual reality-based workforce to bridge the gap between fully manual and fully autonomous operations. This virtual reality-based robotic technology will allow a worker to remotely collaborate with robotic devices to jointly accomplish processing tasks. 

A further goal is to design a new set of robotic and sensor solutions to address the emerging food safety and quality challenges brought on by automated meat manufacturing solutions. These related challenges include unknown pathogen transmission patterns, the new requirements of sanitization protocols, potential product quality degradation, and the introduction of new foreign object (FO) contaminations. 

The CSI-APP team also has proposed a new mobile swab sampling robot to collect environmental surface swab samples. The robot will contain on-site pathogen detection and pathogen transmission pattern visualizations that help processors understand how diseases spread. 

Major universities support next generation poultry processing 

Researchers at Georgia Tech Research Institute’s (GTRI) Agricultural Technology Research Program are exploring the use of cobots — designed to work safely alongside humans — for several material-handling tasks in poultry processing plants. As a part this effort, GTRI has constructed a robotic testbed with a robot that is learning to pick and place chicken front halves (carcasses without legs and thighs) on cones for deboning during further processing. 

Another GRTI development is an Intelligent Cutting and Deboning System that uses 3D imaging and a robotic cutting arm to sever the tendons and joints on bird front halves in preparation for the removal of the wings and breast meat, also known as a butterfly cut. The objective is to make cuts that maximize yield while eliminating bone chips in the cut meat. Because it combines advanced robotics, image processing, and statistical modeling in one device, the system can think and react to its environment just like a human, only better and faster. 

To automate the process of hanging raw chicken on conveyor lines that continue to the deboning, wing-cutting, and packing steps, researchers at the University of Arkansas will customize tactile sensory grippers and develop a high-resolution, high-speed 3D imaging system. This combination of technologies will allow the robotic arms to differentiate between the topmost chicken and the rest of the pile and indicate the predetermined key points for chicken grasping. A major challenge is developing a gripper that reliably grasps the chicken without damaging the meat. 

Meat and poultry industry attendees at PACK EXPO Las Vegas (Sept. 29–Oct. 1; Las Vegas Convention Center) will see cutting-edge automation, live machinery demos, and efficiency-driven solutions in action on the show floor and learn about solutions that can boost efficiency and quality. 

There will also be opportunities to network with industry leaders at PACK gives BACK™, Packaging & Processing Women’s Leadership Network Breakfast, First-Time Attendee Breakfast, and the Young Professionals Networking Reception. Plus, attendees can learn about industry breakthroughs at more than 100 educational sessions on the show floor’s seven stages/content centers, including Sustainability Central, Industry Speaks, Innovation Stages, Processing Innovation Stage, and the Reusable Packaging Learning Center. 

Join 35,000 industry professionals from 40+ vertical markets and explore innovations from 2,300 exhibitors across 1 million net square feet of exhibit space at PACK EXPO Las Vegas. Engage with cutting-edge solutions, and forge valuable connections that will propel your business forward. 

Register now to connect with industry leaders, discover state-of-the-art innovations, and gain a competitive edge. Visit packexpolasvegas.com to learn more and register. Registration is $30 through Sept. 5, after which the price increases to $130.