July August hi-res with ads

44 MACHINERY UPDATE JULY/AUGUST 2018 www.machineryupdate.co.uk
Feature: Automation, robotics and vision
Salmon plant is
slaughtering fish
more humanely
Much has been written
about vision systems
being an enabling
technology for
robotics but not many
would have thought that such
collaboration would lead to quicker
and safer fish slaughtering! But this
is exactly the project that Scorpion
Vision has been working on in
trying to make a salmon processing
line in Norway both more humane
and carried out by robots rather
than humans.
“The fish project demanded
multiple scenarios to deliver the
high flexibility required and
the application is the latest to
benefit from real time 3D machine
vision,” says Paul Wilson, managing
director of Scorpion Vision.
The challenge for the Scorpion
Vision team was to handle a live,
unique product at 4,800 each
hour. The overriding concern of
the fish company was to make the
slaughtering process as quick and
accurate as possible, while also
taking away the human element.
Previously, workers would kill the
salmon with a knife, hoping to
get the blade in the best, most
humane position.
Now, the vision system ensures
that the robot knows exactly where
to place the insertion device.
In operation, the penetration area
is just 15sq mm, and although the
fish are anaesthetised, they may
still be be moving. This is why
the accuracy is so vital and why
the smart vision system has just
100 milliseconds to locate this
penetration point.
Manpower has reduced considerably
Vision helps
fish process
Today, the vision
system ensures
that the robot
knows exactly
where to place
the insertion
device into
the salmon
The system was also developed
to comply with new Human Safety
Environment regulations. Working
in the plant is extremely hard
and the vison guided robots have
reduced the reliance on manpower
by between 85 and 95%. It has also,
of course, increased throughput,
reduced costs, and has paid for
itself in under a year.
The system itself comprises
one or two Flexpicker robots from
ABB Robotics which includes
the Scorpion robot program.
This program offers real-time
tracking and communication.
Also included is a Scorpion 3D
Stinger camera with software
and profile for fish location. Less
tastefully, there is also an insertion
device for sticking the salmon.
The real-time 3D model locates
up to ten fish under the camera
simultaneously. It then segments
the fish in 3D, measuring shape
and height as well as the location
of the head. A 3D camera delivers
a high quality image to gauge
the height of the fish, while a 2D
image determines the texture
of the salmon so the system can
determine which way the fish is
lying on the conveyor.
This application sees fish being
killed by robots for the first time,
and this subject was covered in a
presentation at the Machine Vision
Conference in June.
“It may not be for the squeamish
but it is a very humane way to
dispatch fish, as the combination
of powerful 3D machine vision
and superfast robots means that
the exact knife penetration point
is found with no error,” explains
Scorpion’s Wilson.
T 01590 679333
W www.scorpionvision.co.uk