July 19, 2023

 

US researchers secure US$5 million grant to introduce AI and robotics for efficient chicken processing

 

Researchers in the US states of Arkansas, Georgia, and Nebraska, have secured a US$5 million grant to advance the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics for chicken processing in the country, Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported.

 

The grant, awarded by the US Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, will establish the Centre for Scalable and Intelligent Automation in Poultry Processing, spearheaded by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Collaborating with researchers from five institutions, the project aims to optimise chicken meat processing through robotic automation.

 

The project's director, Jeyam Subbiah, saidthat the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture, will receive US$2.2 million from the grant to focus primarily on enhancing food safety automation for poultry processing plants. Over a four-year period, the researchers will explore innovative ways to prevent wastage in deboning processes and detect pathogens in poultry products.

 

Traditional processing lines face challenges in handling slippery meats and accurately cutting carcasses into meat cuts. To address these issues, researchers will harness AI and virtual reality technologies to improve precision and minimize waste. Additionally, the incorporation of automation in poultry processing can alleviate labour shortages and provide cost-effective solutions for food safety.

 

A key partner in the project is the Georgia Institution of Technology, which will receive US$2.1 million of the grant to concentrate on automating the processing lines that transform chickens into meat.

 

The remaining funds will be allocated to research scientists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Fort Valley State University in Georgia to investigate the effects of automation on poultry industry laborers and its applicability to other meat processing industries, respectively.

 

The advent of COVID-19 accelerated the push for automation in chicken processing, as the virus spread among workers on the processing lines. The poultry industry, like many others, faced labour shortages during the pandemic.

 

The team's objective is to develop advanced robotic technologies that can precisely cut chickens of varying sizes and shapes, replacing existing automation, which results in substantial meat wastage. By leveraging AI and virtual reality, researchers hope to train machines to adapt to the reality of random sizes and shapes, significantly reducing the loss of value on an industrial scale.

 

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station researchers will focus on automating food safety practices, including the development of robots that monitor processing lines for pathogens such as Salmonella and ensure clean and safe spaces and equipment. Hyperspectral imaging will be utilized to detect plastics in chicken meat, further enhancing food safety practices.

 

Researchers envision workers remotely operating robots equipped with virtual-reality goggles and haptic gloves to control robots located miles away. Through this approach, the labour force will contribute to the advancement of robotic processing by teaching AI how to handle chickens of varying sizes and shapes.

 

The successful execution of this project is expected to revolutionize the poultry and meat processing industry through the widespread adoption of automation, robotics, AI, and virtual reality technologies. The research findings will have a substantial impact on the commercial poultry industry in Northwest Arkansas and beyond, ensuring continuous progress in processing and food safety for poultry.

 

-      Arkansas Democrat Gazette