Robot butcher. WCGW?

[rcjordan]

Can a robotic butcher make the meat industry more sustainable?
https://partner.sciencenorway.no/nmbu/can-a-robotic-butcher-make-the-meat-industry-more-sustainable/1991394

Cue Stephen King....

[ergophobe]

Feels like a press release turned into an article.

[I missed the line at the top: "THIS ARTICLE/PRESS RELEASE IS PAID FOR AND PRESENTED BY THE NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF LIFE SCIENCES" - so of course it reads like a press release. Sorry, I missed that the first time looking]

The sustainability angle sounds like greenwashing. Just how much impact does butchering closer to the farm really have? Seems like that's a rounding error in the sustainability puzzle.

Also...

Will require other qualifications from workers
"With better working conditions there is a greater chance of stable jobs, more equality and the opportunity to stay longer in the job," he says

Naturally, it's good for workers. I'm surprised he didn't say how much the pigs like it too.

Still, from a technology point of view it's impressive since you don't have a uniform task. It's more like automating sewing (notoriously hard) than automating machining.

[ergophobe]

The press releases are more interesting than your average ones though.

Humans seem to have recently developed the ability to digest xanthan gum due to it's widespread use... and that does not look like a good thing.
https://partner.sciencenorway.no/food-and-nutrition-gut-bacteria-nmbu/widely-used-food-additive-affects-the-human-gut-microbiota/2014988

Actually, there's lots of interesting stuff on that site. It's all press releases, but it's a far cry from Presswire and PR Newswire and the like who take submissions from anyone with a few dollars

[Brad]

It's more exciting news than all the "plant based meat" product announcements that were so popular about 4 months ago.

The meat industry is so labor intensive and the packing house jobs so nasty that if you don't have a steady supply of cheap labor or have to slow for pandemics you have a real problem.  Maybe this will scale someday.