MIT CSAIL) are developing a new soft robotic system called RoboGrocery that can determine how to pack a grocery item based on its weight, size and shape without causing damage to the item.
Allied Market Research projects the global retail logistics market to be worth $809.7 billion by 2032, up from $238.5 billion in 2022.RoboGrocery uses a combination of RGB-D cameras, closed-loop control servo motors, and soft tactile sensors to see the different shapes and sizes of groceries. According to the, the cameras give depth information and color images to accurately determine the object's shapes and sizes as they move along the conveyor belt.
In the RoboGrocery study, researchers randomly put ten items from a set of previously unseen, realistic grocery items on the conveyor belt. They repeated the process three times to evaluate what a bad pack—heavy items, like baking soda boxes, soup, prepared meals, and cheese blocks—on delicate items like grapes, bread, crackers, and kale.
The microprocessor chip, which is the brain of the robotic hand, handles all sensory data and executes packing decisions in real-time. So, after the non-delicate items are packed, RoboGrocery retrieves the grapes from the buffer and carefully places them on top so they aren't crushed.