The final weeks of trials

From it very inception the RoButcher project aimed to revolutionise standard practices of the meat processing industry with its vision of automating and challenge centuries old practices. The novel concept of processing carcasses from the outside-in raised a few eyebrows and garnered the interest of industry insiders and public in general.

Written by: NMBU

As the project progressed from its early days many were the challenges and hurdles to overcome. Not even a month had passed from the start when the whole world was struck with a pandemic that made it very difficult to realise the required collaboration between the different partners. The determination however never waned and the drive to push boundaries grew stronger. Over time, the RoButcher system was defined, built and refined by close interaction between engineers, AI experts, meat processing, software and robotics specialists. Bespoke tools were developed, the different elements were integrated and the resulting Meat Factory Cell was sent to be tested at the facility of one of our industrial partners the Max Rubner Institute in Bavaria.

With only a couple of weeks left in the project, much has been achieved. The RoButcher concept has proved that it is possible to successfully challenge long established practices and do things in a different way. The intense pursuit of innovation, the spirit of collaboration, and the relentless drive to push boundaries leaves an indelible mark on the project’s participants and the wider field of robotics and meat processing. Constructive lessons have been learned, providing valuable insights for future endeavours in the field of automation and robotics. Undoubtedly, the work done, the advances and the experience gained will pave the way and be a catalyst for future breakthroughs in the field.