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Tyson steps up robotics research amid COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has prompted more interest in packing plant robotics.  One company exploring additional automation in the processing line is Tyson Foods.  The Wall Street Journal reports a team of Tyson designers in Arkansas is developing an automated chicken deboning system.

So far, meat processors say the robots cannot match a human’s ability to disassemble carcasses, leaving much of the trimming work to humans working in close quarters where they are at higher risk of catching COVID-19.  Tyson’s Manufacturing Automation Center opened last August before the pandemic, where they are reportedly working to help machines adjust to differences in shape and color.

Tyson processes nearly 39-million chickens every week.