Over the past decade, industrial developments in the field of robotics have been aimed primarily at manufacturing. Many of the cases considered for automation have involved the processing of well-defined and rigid products within the motor car and aerospace industries. Current literature includes a large number of books covering both the fundamentals and applications of robots, but none of these books deals with food production as a specialist subject. In the recent past, considerable work has been done examining the use of robots for handling and processing food items. The main objective of this book is to provide an overview of specific applications in the meat, fish and poultry industries, thus increasing the awareness and confidence of the food industry in this technology and the opportunities it offers.

The past decade has seen growing interest in the use of robotic technology in the food sector. There is a strong indication that this sector and, in particular, industries dealing with meat, fish and poultry products, would make even more use of robotics if such technology were better suited to the specific needs of the food production environment. Clearly the poten tial is high. This book aims to provide the reader with the state of robotic technology currently under development. For the first time a series of chapters, written by leading international authors, brings together a range of topics in robotics as applicable to meat, fish and poultry processing. The contents will interest researchers, managers, manufacturing engin eers, consultants and students. Manufacturers and suppliers of robotic technology or food machinery are strongly recommended to examine the content and exploit the potential benefits described. The co-operation and indeed the full active involvement of research establishments, manufac turers and food producers in teams, is essential in order to achieve the maximum use of robotics."