Chef Robotics has introduced new capabilities for its physical AI models and robotic systems to automate tray assembly in meatpacking operations, extending its technology to handle raw, frozen and precooked protein products prior to packaging.
The system is designed to manage items including pork loin filets, chicken breasts, steaks, lamb chops, bratwursts and sausage links. Meatpacking in high-mix food manufacturing environments has been difficult to automate due to variability in individual pieces, which differ in shape, weight, surface texture and stiffness depending on the cut and condition of the product.
The application builds on the company’s existing piece-picking technology, which combines artificial intelligence and computer vision trained on datasets covering the visual and physical characteristics of different protein types. This enables robots to determine grasping methods and placement positions for each item in real time.
Additional functionality has been introduced to support meatpacking requirements. One feature enables precise angular placement, allowing pieces of meat to be positioned at specific orientations within a tray. The system detects the orientation of each item before pickup and adjusts it during placement to meet predefined presentation requirements, including fixed angles for certain product configurations.
The system also supports multi-item tray assembly, allowing multiple pieces of meat to be placed into a single tray in one automated sequence. This removes the need for manual intervention during the assembly process.
Another capability, described as offset placement, uses the tray’s center point and predefined spacing rules to arrange items evenly. For example, when placing three pieces into a tray, each item can be positioned at consistent intervals relative to the center to ensure uniform presentation.
The introduction of these capabilities targets a task that has traditionally relied on manual labor. Tray assembly in meatpacking environments is typically repetitive and physically demanding, with staffing challenges in maintaining consistent output. The automated system is intended to support higher throughput and more uniform product presentation without requiring modifications to existing production lines. Further development efforts are focused on increasing throughput while maintaining compatibility with collaborative robotic environments.
