Robotic Meat Cutting

Challenge

Today, meat cutting processes are still largely manual. At the same time, the meat processing industry faces increasing pressure due to a shortage of skilled operators and the need for cost reductions. To remain competitive and ensure operational continuity, automation becomes essential.

However, automating meat cutting is particularly challenging because of the variability in meat products, the need for precise positioning and localisation, and strict quality requirements throughout the process. The industry therefore needs robust and flexible robotic solutions that can operate reliably in high-throughput production environments.

Project goal

This project, RoboMeat_IRVA, aims to develop robotic solutions for specific meat cutting processes. By introducing robotic meat cutting, the project will reduce dependency on skilled manual labour while offering a more cost-effective and scalable alternative to current manual operations.

The research focuses on automated identification and localisation of meat products, robotic cutting, meat sorting, quality inspection, and pre-positioning processes. Specific KPIs will be defined together with the end users to ensure industrial relevance and measurable impact.

Initial demonstrators will focus on pork cheeks and poultry breasts processing applications. The project builds on strong industrial engagement, including high-volume production environments such as Belgian Pork Group and Plukon Maasmechelen.