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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Robot. AI
Sec. Industrial Robotics and Automation
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frobt.2025.1506290
This article is part of the Research Topic Innovations in Industry 4.0: Advancing Mobility and Manipulation in Robotics View all articles

Vision-based Manipulation of Transparent Plastic Bags in Industrial Setups

Provisionally accepted
Favour Adetunji Favour Adetunji 1Abhiram Karukayil Abhiram Karukayil 1Pranjal Samant Pranjal Samant 1Sheena Shabana Sheena Shabana 1Finny Varghese Finny Varghese 1Ujjwal Upadhyay Ujjwal Upadhyay 1Raj A Yadav Raj A Yadav 1Alix James Partridge Alix James Partridge 2Elizabeth Pendleton Elizabeth Pendleton 2Ruth Plant Ruth Plant 2Yvan Petillot Yvan Petillot 1,2Maria Koskinopoulou Maria Koskinopoulou 1,2*
  • 1 Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
  • 2 The National Robotarium, EDINBURGH, United Kingdom

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This paper addresses the challenges of vision-based manipulation for autonomous cutting and unpacking of transparent plastic bags in industrial setups, aligning with the Industry 4.0 paradigm. Industry 4.0, driven by data, connectivity, analytics, and robotics, promises enhanced accessibility and sustainability throughout the value chain. The integration of autonomous systems, including collaborative robots (cobots), into industrial processes is pivotal for efficiency and safety. The proposed solution employs advanced Machine Learning algorithms, particularly Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), to identify transparent plastic bags under varying lighting and background conditions. Tracking algorithms and depth sensing technologies are utilized for 3D spatial awareness during pick and placement. The system addresses challenges in grasping and manipulation, considering optimal points, compliance control with vacuum gripping technology, and real-time automation for safe interaction in dynamic environments. The system's successful testing and validation in the lab with the FRANKA robot arm, showcases its potential for widespread industrial applications, while demonstrating effectiveness in automating the unpacking and cutting of transparent plastic bags for an 8-stack bulk-loader based on specific requirements and rigorous testing.

    Keywords: autonomous system, Industrial applications, vision-guided manipulation, transparent bag detection, Manipulation

    Received: 04 Oct 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Adetunji, Karukayil, Samant, Shabana, Varghese, Upadhyay, Yadav, Partridge, Pendleton, Plant, Petillot and Koskinopoulou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Maria Koskinopoulou, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.