At Automatica in Munich, Yaskawa demonstrated a practical and increasingly relevant combination of robotics and AI vision: an autonomous dish sorting and loading system designed for commercial kitchens. Developed in collaboration with machine builder Meiko and Dutch AI Vision company Fizyr , the robot addresses a pressing need in the hospitality and foodservice industry—automating repetitive and labor-intensive dishwashing tasks in environments facing chronic staff shortages.
The demonstration at the Yaskawa booth, showed how a robot equipped with vision and AI software can identify, pick up, and load used plates, bowls, and cups from a conveyor belt into an industrial dishwasher. A suction module removes food residues mid-process, enabling a cleaner and more efficient wash cycle. Unlike traditional industrial applications, the targeted environment—a commercial or institutional kitchen—poses different challenges: humidity, waste handling, and a lack of skilled personnel willing to perform repetitive tasks. The system is trained, not programmed, using AI models that learn from diverse dish types and arrangements, allowing for greater flexibility and lower setup costs. Behind the scenes, the system uses a mathematical algorithm to determine the optimal sequence for picking items, minimizing travel distance and time. The embedded intelligence, combined with Yaskawa’s high-precision robots, ensures performance closely aligned with simulated behavior—a key factor for reliable real-world deployment.
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From Tools to Teammates: Robots at the Heart of Industry at Automatica
