Food Manipulation Technology: A Soft Robotics Approach

Wang and Hirai draw on their extensive experience to introduce recent technological advances in soft robotics for food manipulation and discuss their practical applications in the food preparation industry. They also describe food modeling and categorization for the purpose of robotic handling. Food manipulation is common in restaurants, kitchens, and food factories, but it currently largely relies on humans because of the lack of effective robotic systems. This book therefore explains recent manipulation technology for food handling and restaurant/kitchen automation, which is essential for food manipulation. The book covers the theoretical background of soft robotic hands; their application to different handling purposes in the food industry; their use in kitchen and restaurant automation; and their use for food recognition, property measuring, and modeling. The authors also present case studies of the development of soft robotic hands to illustrate the information and provide practical information that will be instructional for readers. Readers will gain an in-depth appreciation of the technology and its practical application to industry, which will enable them to implement this in their own work. This book is an essential read for both food technology practitioners and graduate students who are interested in food manipulation and its related technologies. It gives readers the theoretical background knowledge and practical understanding to apply this cutting-edge technology in real-world settings. Zhongkui Wang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Robotics at Ritsumeikan University. He obtained his Bachelor's and Master's from Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China, and his Doctorate from Ritsumeikan University in 2000, 2003, and 2011, respectively. He is a member of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Robotics Society of Japan, Japanese Society for Medical and Biological Engineering, and IEEE. Shinichi Hirai is a Professor in the Department of Robotics and Head of the Soft Robotics Lab at Ritsumeikan University. He obtained his Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate Degrees from Kyoto University in 1985, 1987, and 1990, respectively. Professor Hirai is a member of the Robotics Society of Japan, Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Society of Instrument and Control Engineers, and IEEE Robotics and Automation Society.ii