UK grocer developing robotic hand to handle fruits & veg without damage
The grocer is hoping that the arm will allow it to further automize its grocery process by getting a robot to pick and pack orders. So in coordination with the SoMa Project — a robotics project funded by the European Union — Ocado has been testing and developing possible solutions. After 18 months of work on the project the researchers finally let the public have a look at their progress.
Ocado said that the largest difficultuy to overcome in the developing the arm was that fruit comes in many shapes and sizes meaning the hand would have to be able to manage variations. They also damage easily. So in response to these issues, the team chose to go with a gripper called the RBO Hand 2, which relies on pressurized air and rubber. It adjusts its grip, thereby keeping fruit intact.
The tests so far have only been on artificial fruit, but the team stated that it was only a start and that they expect to be able to handle real fruit soon.
source: theverge.com
