Research towards generalised robotic systems for handling non-rigid products

There is a need for general purpose industrial robotic systems capable of handling non-rigid products across a broad range of industries. The versatility of such machines depends upon the integration of the enabling technologies: sensors, expert systems and manipulator design. For generalised systems, the need for a classification scheme to distinguish between products on account of their handling behaviour and tasks requirements is identified. A description of the design of a system for handling poultry products is given. Technology advances, towards the development of deformation reference models and systems with greater manipulation capability, are discussed.<>