The project proposes a collaborative robot cell concept as an alternative to the serial production line that is currently used in major slaughterhouses. With a robot cell, where a robot and an operator share tasks and workload, we get the strength of the robot and the flexibility of the operator. This will help reduce the repetitive stress injuries that plague workers in the industry and it will ease the transition to fully automated robots that can perform the entire process by themselves. The project requires innovation in the way humans and robots collaborate and the development of robots that can adapt to the high variation in both products and the interaction with humans.
The project contains three labour intensive cases performed extensively in Danish slaughterhouses. The cases have increasing complexity and ambition but also outreach and potential. The occupational safety regulations are challenged in this disruptive project.