22 Fall / Automne 2017 ROBOT SYSTEM FOR MEAT GRADING In commercial abattoirs, meat grading is routinely performed to establish the thickness of fat. The grading is per- formed at a federally-legislated point on the back of the carcass. The grading is performed with widely used electron- ic equipment that measures the thick- ness. The equipment has a long needle that gets inserted manually by the grad- er. The equipment measures the imped- ance of the tissue, and the differentia- tion between the impedance of the fat and that of the meat generates a read- ing of the thickness. The grading device, operated by a qualified grader, must be inserted in every single carcass. In the abattoir, the carcass is transported attached to an overhead conveyor. The operator must perform the task while the conveyor is moving, at a rate of maximum 700-800 carcasses per hour shifts in large abattoirs. This work is performed along the cut- ting line, as one of the several steps of preparing the meat for packaging. The work is tedious; the environment is hardened by odors, and generally leads to serious fatigue. The operator works continuously only 20 minutes at a time, and rests for the next 20 minutes. Thus, two operators are working in every eight-hour shift. Large abattoirs have two or even three shifts. The fatigue of the operator leads to inconsistent grad- ing. The insertion of the needle must be done in one stroke, at a certain speed, and the needle must be inserted per- pendicular to the surface of the meat. In the case of hogs that is at 7 cm from the spine between the third and fourth rib below the neck. When it arrives at the grading station, the carcass is already split along the spine from the tail down about half way. The oper- ator inserts his arm between the two parts of the carcass (the carcass back is facing the operator), finds the third rib, and presses his hand against the third and fourth rib while he inserts the needle. Clearly, experience helps the operator finding the ribs, insert the needle between them, maintain the needle orthogonal to the surface, maintain the speed of insertion, and perform the insertion in one stroke. The equipment is connected to a PC, and it registers the carcass number and the grade automatically. The operation described above meas- ures only the thickness of fat. The meat processing industry has been asked to perform additional measure- ments indicating the quality of the meat. There are developments cur- rently underway to develop measure- ment devices for all sorts of meat properties. It is also desirable to effect grading in a non-invasive way. This would preserve the integrity of the carcass surface. The operator fatigue, inconsistency in grading, the need to perform addition- al measurements, provision for both Custom Robots invasive or non-invasive grading, and the high cost of grading operations have led to considerations of robotic- based automation. A system for grading hogs was developed in collaboration with the robot developers and pork meat pro- cessors. The approach and methodology is applicable to the “red meat” industry as well. The robot replaces the grad- er in the repetitive and tedi- ous manual task of grading pork carcasses. Automatic grading can be performed for fat/lean thickness, as well as PSE (paleness, soft- ness and exudativeness) characteristics, and mar- bling content of a fresh pork carcass. Automatic grading can be performed: (i) invasively, by the insertion of a grading probe, at a designated spot identified using ultrasound technology; (ii) non- invasively, using ultrasound and infrared technology; and (iii) as a combination of both. Manual fat/ lean thickness grading is representa- tive of invasive grading. Non-inva- sive grading ensures that no cross contamination occurs. The robot system comprises three sub-systems: Robotic Subsystem, Sensing and Probing Subsystem and Clamping Subsystem. The Robotic Subsystem carries the Sensing and Probing Subsystem which scans the pork carcass, as the carcass is moving along the conveyor line to: (i) locate the designated spot for probing (invasive or non-invasive); and (ii) perform the grading. The Clamping Subsystem automatically clamps the pork carcass as it enters the grading station and presents the carcass at a constant position and orientation during the grading operation performed by the Robotic and Probing Subsystems. The Sensor Probing Subsystem uses a dual-echo ultrasonic technology to detect the probing site and perform the probing. Meat Grading Robot, Sensing, and Probing Subsystems Meat Grading Clamping Subsystem ROBOT SYSTEM FOR TIRE CASING ANALYSIS Truck tires wear-and-tear generates a need for replacing them as often as needed. The industry of used tire re- treading is growing, due to environ- mental concerns. Tire re-treading is a growing business that requires effective detection of used tires that are candidates for re-treading. An automatic robot-based tire casing analyzer has been developed. It detects defects and wear. It marks the locations of defects, and it pro- vides a report on the state of the tire. The operator then decides if the tire could be re-treaded. For many years, the tire industry has been searching for a nondestructive, simple way to inspect tires and tire casings for flaws. Good casings are presently being discarded and disposed of in landfill sites, causing a detrimental effect on the environment. Or, tires are often prepared for re-treading only to discover that the casing has major irreparable flaws. The new technology eliminates these prob- lems resulting in significant economic benefits. The technology is based on an intelligent controller that uses two robotic systems and carries 28 ultra- sonic sensors. The controller provides autonomous positioning and guid- ance of the sensors, which are deliv- ered into the tested tire by a very compact foldable robot. The sensors manifold conforms to the interior shape of the tested tire. Based on the ultrasonic signal, the sensors detect and evaluate defects in the tire. An intelligent algorithm has been developed to evaluate defects, clas- sify them according to size, shape, etc., and graphically zoom in on a detected defect to be displayed on a computer screen. The robotic arms are performing the ultrasonic inspection from within the cavity of the tire (carrying the emitters) and over the external sur- face (carrying the receivers). Load- ing and unloading of tires is done automatically by the operator using a lifting device. 22 Fall / Automne 2017