Image Processing-Based Methods to Improve the Robustness of Robotic Gripping

Image processing techniques are having a huge impact on most fields of robotics and industrial automation. Real-time methods are usually employed in complex automation tasks, assisting with decision making or directly guiding robots and machinery, while post-processing is usually used for retrospective assessment of systems and processes. While artificial intelligence-based image processing algorithms (relying usually on neural networks) are more common nowadays, “classical” image processing methods can also be used effectively for most modern applications. This paper focuses on optical flow-based image processing, proving its efficiency by presenting optical flow-based solutions for modern challenges in different fields of robotics, such as robot-assisted surgery and food processing. The application domain introduced in this paper is based on a smart robotic gripper designed to support automated robot cells in the meat industry. The gripper is capable of slip detection and secure gripping of soft, slippery tissues with the help of the implemented real-time algorithm.