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STORAGE, H
STORAGE, HANDLING & LOGISTICSANDLING & LOGISTICS

Robotics

in the Food & Beverage Industry

Food robotics refers to the branch of science that
focuses on the development of automated machines
to perform tedious, heavy, and repetitive tasks
efficiently in the food & beverage manufacturing
industry.

These machines are built with the aim to replace or support
manual efforts, to reduce time and energy consumed, and eliminate
errors. These robots can be classified into articulated, collaborative,
cylindrical, parallel, dual arm, spherical, cartesian, and Selective
Compliance Assembly Robot Arm or Selective Compliance
Articulated Robot Arm (SCARA).
Factors such as increasing food safety regulations, high demand
for packaging & re-packaging in food production, and increasing
need to improve productivity are expected to drive the demand for
food robotics globally. Increase in instances of food contamination
through human contact has encouraged manufacturers to employ
industrial robots in the food & beverage manufacturing processes.
For instance, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), approximately 70% of all foodborne diseases in
the US is due to viruses spread through direct or indirect contact
with infected individuals. Therefore, by reducing human contact with

70 FOOD FOCUS THAILAND JUN 2018