People involved in the Tottori Robot Hub receive an explanation of the simulated production line.

People involved in the Tottori Robot Hub receive an explanation of the simulated production line.

The Tottori Prefectural Industrial Technology Center opened the Tottori Robot Hub," a base to support the introduction of robots to production sites, at the Machine and Materials Research Institute in Yonago City on April 24. Of the total area of 174 square meters, 134 square meters have been set aside for a simulated production line using five robots, articulated and SCARA robots. Fumihiro Yoshimura, Director of the Commerce, Industry, and Labor Bureau of Tottori Prefecture, said, "We want to make sure that Tottori Prefecture is known as a leading prefecture in robotics," while Satoru Fukuoka, President of the Tottori Industrial Technology Center, expressed his hope that the center would become a hub for information on how to make factories smarter. (December 24, 2019, Machine and Material Research Institute, Yonago City; Credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images)

Uyenotecnica's visual inspection system for food products

Uyenotecnica's visual inspection system for food products

Ueno Technica (Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture) has developed a device (photo) that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automate the visual inspection of food products. A horizontally articulated (SCARA) robot equipped with a camera can identify and remove defective products from randomly placed products. We plan to launch the product by next summer and propose its introduction to food manufacturers. The AI will store a large number of image data in advance and determine good and bad products based on wrinkles and burrs in the packaging material. It is expected to reduce the burden on workers by automating the judgment of defective food products, which relies on manual labor. It is expected to be useful in solving the labor shortage at production sites, and is being marketed to food manufacturers. Photo taken on November 28, 2019, credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun / Kyodo News Images