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Analysis of the human arm gesture for optimizing cutting process in ham deboning with a redundant robotic cell

Kévin Subrin (Pascal Institute – Machines, Mechanisms and Industrial Systems Group, French Institute for Advanced Mechanics/Blaise Pascal University/CNRS, Clermont-Ferrand, France)
Laurent Sabourin (Pascal Institute – Machines, Mechanisms and Industrial Systems Group, French Institute for Advanced Mechanics/Blaise Pascal University/CNRS, Clermont-Ferrand, France)
Franck Stephan (Pascal Institute – Machines, Mechanisms and Industrial Systems Group, French Institute for Advanced Mechanics/Blaise Pascal University/CNRS, Clermont-Ferrand, France)
Grigoré Gogu (Pascal Institute – Machines, Mechanisms and Industrial Systems Group, French Institute for Advanced Mechanics/Blaise Pascal University/CNRS, Clermont-Ferrand, France)
Matthieu Alric (Pre-Engineering – Mechanical and Robotic Design, ADIV – Meat Performances, Clermont-Ferrand, France)
Youcef Mezouar (Image, Perception Systems and Robotics, French Institute for Advanced Mechanics/Blaise Pascal University/CNRS, Clermont-Ferrand, France)

Industrial Robot

ISSN: 0143-991x

Article publication date: 11 March 2014

279

Abstract

Purpose

The mechanization of the meat cutting companies has become essential due to the lack of skilled workers and to working conditions. This paper deals with the analysis of human gestures in order to improve the performance of a redundant robotic cell. The aim is to define optimization criteria linked to the process and the human gesture analysis to improve the cutting process with a redundant robotic cell.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper deals with an optimized path planning of complex tasks based on the human arm analysis. The first part details the operator's manual work. The robotized cutting strategy using bones as a guide associated with an industrial force control leads to the tasks redefinition. Thus, the analysis of the arm during the tasks is presented. With a robotic model, the authors evaluate the relevance of two criteria (kinematic and mechanical) that the operator naturally manages. These criteria are used to improve the robotized cutting process by using redundancy. Simulation work and experimentation are presented to show the enhanced performance.

Findings

The paper explains how to define optimization criteria based on human arm analysis to realize cutting operations which require force or dexterity performance. It presents a study on the criteria weighting on a robotic arm model established through human arm analysis. The optimized cutting process clearly shows improvement.

Research limitations/implications

The scalability of the ham implied the definition of iterative trajectories to follow the curvature of the bone. Due to the use of an industrial force control, no online optimization can be achieved. The off-line optimization implies that the boundary of the trajectory space is technically feasible. Nevertheless, more information has to be extracted from the deboning process such as vision data in order to improve cutting quality.

Practical implications

This study was carried out within the framework of several national and European projects (FUI SRDViand, ANR ARMS, FP7 Echord Dexdeb) in collaboration with ADIV (Meat Institute Development Agency). The redundant robotic cell was developed and implemented at ADIV and used for feasibility studies in connection with SME/SMI French sector.

Originality/value

The paper deals with the cutting of soft bodies such as meat and complex human gesture analysis, which constitute an innovative challenge for the coming years in order to help or replace humans in industrial meat companies with difficult working conditions.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support for this work in the framework of InnovaPole Project funded by Region Council of Auvergne and FEDER, European Project ECHORD-DEXDEB and Project ANR-ARMS.

Citation

Subrin, K., Sabourin, L., Stephan, F., Gogu, G., Alric, M. and Mezouar, Y. (2014), "Analysis of the human arm gesture for optimizing cutting process in ham deboning with a redundant robotic cell", Industrial Robot, Vol. 41 No. 2, pp. 190-202. https://doi.org/10.1108/IR-04-2013-346

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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