This study introduces an automated robotic system designed to replace manual maintenance in cold rolling mills, where hazardous confined spaces present significant safety risks to workers. To enhance safety and efficiency, we modified a commercial aerial work platform into a teleoperated mobile robot. The system includes a redesigned end-effector equipped with high-pressure cleaning nozzles and a wide-angle camera for visual inspection. Experimental validation in both laboratory and field settings demonstrated the system's maneuverability and effectiveness. The results indicate that this robotic solution can successfully reduce safety hazards by minimizing manual intervention while ensuring high-quality cleaning and inspection in industrial rolling mills.
We present an automated incasing process designed to replace traditional manual packaging of dried seaweed. This system consists of three key components: a cage mechanism that compresses and transfers six bundles, a handling device for stacking the bundles, and a collaborative robot that performs the box incasing operation based on sensor input. The handling device utilizes pneumatic actuators and a wire-linked folding plate to minimize interference within the confined box space, while also allowing for adjustable dimensions to accommodate seasonal variations in bundle size. Field validation was carried out under continuous input conditions using a conveyor. The collaborative robot followed a predefined sequence triggered by a presence sensor, effectively grasping, stacking, compressing, and transferring bundles without causing product damage. Experimental results indicated that the system successfully incased 72 bundles per box with stable performance and reliable placement. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of replacing labor-intensive operations with collaborative robotic automation in seafood packaging, highlighting opportunities for enhanced consistency, ergonomics, and productivity.