Chef Robotics has introduced a conveyor integration capability designed to allow its robotic meal assembly systems to communicate directly with multiple types of conveyor equipment used in food manufacturing facilities. The system, called Conveyor Connect, enables Chef robots to interface with continuous belt conveyors, chain conveyors and indexing conveyors. Food production lines often combine equipment from different vendors, creating integration challenges when robotics must coordinate ingredient placement with conveyor movement. The company’s technology is intended to allow its robots to adapt to different conveyor types while maintaining precise placement of ingredients on trays and containers.
For continuous belt conveyors, the robots rely on an artificial intelligence system that reads belt speed and tracks tray positions and orientations in real time. The system enables robots to deposit ingredients while trays remain in motion. In high-throughput production lines where multiple robots operate simultaneously, the robots share real-time tray position data using built-in wireless radios, allowing them to coordinate targeting of trays along the conveyor.
The company extended the same radio-based communication approach to enable direct communication between robots and conveyor systems. Through this connection, the robots can read conveyor speed directly from the conveyor controller rather than estimating speed through visual perception. According to the company, this direct data access improves tray tracking accuracy and helps prevent missed placements. The robots can also adjust conveyor speed during operation to help maintain throughput while reducing missed trays.
The integration system also supports indexing, or stop-and-go, conveyors. When such a conveyor halts, a connected control unit signals the robots to begin depositing ingredients. After the task is completed, the control unit sends a confirmation signal that allows the conveyor to resume movement.
To enable the connection, the company developed a device referred to as a conveyor companion box. The wireless, sealed electronics enclosure connects to a conveyor’s existing variable frequency drive control system and includes a radio that communicates directly with the robots. The device is designed to attach to existing conveyor infrastructure without requiring system modifications.
Robots can be assigned to specific conveyors through a human-machine interface in facilities with multiple production lines. The robotic system’s perception software continues to monitor tray position and orientation during operation to verify ingredient placement. The conveyor communication capability has been deployed in production facilities, including installations at food manufacturer Cafe Spice. In that environment, the system allows robots to operate within short conveyor stop intervals by receiving wireless signals immediately when the conveyor halts. The conveyor integration capability is available to food manufacturers in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and is included within the company’s robotics-as-a-service pricing model.
