Masters by Research scholarship in Intelligent Automation - Digital twin for optimization of robotic leg deboning efficiency

This Masters by Research scholarship focuses on creating a digital twin for optimization of robotic leg deboning efficiency in meat processing. The research aims to create a digital twin of knowledge regarding the primal leg pieces of beef, lamb, and pork. The digital twin must represent the leg primal in sufficient detail to evaluate yield and speed performances, as well as other factors that influence efficiency, to optimize them. The real-world application is limited to a single robotic workspace or workstation that mechanically separates meat from bone during deboning. As a long-term objective, a digital twin of the robotic cutting and/or mechanical separation could control the process in a forward learning environment, provided that the models and digital twins of the components are accurate. The research can potentially draw on previous studies in this field, including the characterization of meat. This is an industry-sponsored scholarship in collaboration with Mayekawa, a company specializing in automation and worker-friendly meat production solutions.