Automation in the poultry industry: the application of human level performance robotics

Summary form only given. Manual labor is required in many manufacturing plants to perform material handling tasks that typical automation solutions cannot effectively perform. Such tasks frequently require the handling of a variety of products that are both unsuitable to traditional end-effecters and require decision-making capability of the operator. In the food processing industry, the variability in the size and shape of the products present special challenges. The Georgia Tech Research Institute has endeavored to address the unique automation needs of the poultry industry through a new paradigm for the design of robots, known as human level performance (HLP) robotics. The performance criteria of a HLP robot are defined by the capabilities of a human worker. Cost, cycle time, accuracy, and flexibility are included in the criteria.