Project description
Innovative soft gripper for delicate harvesting
Labour costs often represent up to 50 % of total production costs in the fresh food industry. Although the sector demands solutions to reduce them, the shift towards robotic automation is obstructed by the complex and contact-rich interactions needed. The EU-funded SoftGrip project will introduce a self-actuating soft gripper for the autonomous picking of delicate white button mushrooms. The project aims for low-cost, intelligent soft robotic grippers with embedded actuation, tactile sensing, recyclable materials and advanced fabrication techniques. It will develop a set of fast-computed modelling algorithms to enhance real-time model-based control schemes and advanced learning capabilities. SoftGrip will develop a learning-by-demonstration framework that will allow the robot to capture human picking skills, extendable to other similar tasks.
Objective
The fresh food industry is highly labour-intensive, with labour costs often contributing up to 50% of overall production costs. Pressure is growing to reduce production costs while facing major labour shortages. So far robotic automation for picking of delicate fresh produce has been impossible mainly due to the complex, contact-rich interactions involved in such tasks.
SoftGrip will deliver an innovative soft gripper solution for the autonomous picking of delicate white button mushrooms cultivated on Dutch shelves. The versatility of the proposed solution will enable the adoption of the technology by other fresh-food industries experiencing similar stringent handling requirements such kiwifruit, grapes, etc.
Towards this goal, our consortium will develop: (a) low-cost, soft robotic grippers having built-in actuation, sensing and embodied intelligence that enable reliable and efficient picking of mushrooms; (b) material synthesis and fabrication techniques that offer precise tuning of mechanical properties, comply with food-safe standards, allow for chemical recycling and offer self-repair properties; (c) a set of accelerated continuum mechanics modelling algorithms that facilitate real-time model-based control schemes, capable of being executed by limited computational resources. (d) advanced learning capabilities of the soft gripper through a learning by imitation framework comprising multi-task and meta-learning techniques, so that SoftGrip can be deployed with minimal programming effort.
SoftGrip will enable a step change in efficiency, helping mushroom growers cut down on costs by >30% and increase their yields by >20% while also improving job quality in the industry. In the long-term, it will lower the barriers of robotics deployment open up new opportunities for adoption of robotic solutions in the agri-food sector.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management waste treatment processes recycling
- social sciences sociology industrial relations automation
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering robotics
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
H2020-EU.2.1.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
RIA - Research and Innovation action
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-ICT-2018-20
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
56127 Pisa
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.