Towards robotic post-trimming of salmon fillets

Abstract Purpose Practically all salmon fillets produced in Norway are trimmed clean of unwanted fat, bone remnants and other defects according to customer requirements. In today's modern salmon-processing plants, the trimming operation is performed by a combination of automated trimming machines and manual post-trimming. Manual post-trimming is necessary due to the inability of current trimming machines to obtain satisfactory trimming. The purpose of this paper is to describe the work done so far toward a robotic post-trimming of salmon fillets. Design/methodology/approach A prototype concept system was developed to explore the possibility of robotic post-trimming. The concept is based on 3D machine vision, a high-speed robot manipulator and a flexible light-weight cutting knife. Findings The developed prototype demonstrated the feasibility of detecting a pre-defined object to be trimmed in 3D, and performing the specified trimming cut along a 3D cutting trajectory. Research limitations/implications The developed prototype system was built and integrated – focusing so far only on a single trimming operation: the tail cut. Originality/value The originality in the paper is the description of a prototype integrated system, focused on robotic post-trimming of salmon fillets. The value is in providing a starting point for further development toward a complete robotic post-trimming of salmon fillets.