Automation company Soft Robotics is preparing to launch an automation tool for the food industry.

The Soft Robotics’ mGripAI is an automation tool that takes over tasks usually performed by human laborers in the food processing space. This is reportedly accomplished through the combination of 3D vision, artificial intelligence (AI) and soft grasping, which can imbue industrial robots with the hand-eye coordination previously demonstrated by human workers.

According to its developers, the mGripAI, which relies on machine learning to understand objects, improves throughput, reduces maintenance and cuts food waste in food processing operations.

"The protein industry has been hit the hardest by labor shortages and the pandemic has made it even more difficult for food processors to keep up with demand," said Mark Chiappetta, COO at Soft Robotics Inc. "mGripAI enables robots to handle difficult bulk protein handling applications and we're excited to demonstrate this revolutionary technology, for the first time, to the largest protein processors in the world."

Watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of Soft Robotics to see the mGripAI in action.