The role of robots in the food industry: a review

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of present-day and anticipated future applications of robots in the food industry. Design/methodology/approach - The paper discusses the use of robots in the agriculture and farming, processing and packaging and retail sectors of the industry. Examples are given of specific applications and development activities. Findings - Robots are being developed for many agriculture and farming applications but with the exception of milking robots, most still remain at the research/prototype stage. Food processing and packaging is the best developed sector of the industry and most uses entail picking, packing and palletising, although meat cutting is a growing application. Robots are few in the food retail sector although a number of innovative, niche products have recently been launched. Originality/value - This paper reviews the use of robots throughout the food chain and considers possible future applications.