Bin picking: a review of recent developments

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into the present-day state of bin picking by considering research, technology, products and applications. Design/methodology/approach Following a short introduction, this first provides examples of recent bin picking research. It then discusses a selection of commercial product developments and applications. Finally, brief conclusions are drawn. Findings Bin picking has the potential to eliminate repetitive, manual part handling practices in many sectors of the manufacturing and logistics industries. Systems combine robotic gripping and manipulation with machine vision and specialist software and tend to be complex to install and commission. They are produced by robot manufacturers, system integrators, software developers and machine vision specialists and all are constantly developing and improving the technology. These developments are supported by a strong academic research effort, much involving artificial intelligence methods, and while the technology is evolving rapidly, it is yet to reach the point where deployments are routine and widespread. Originality/value This provides a timely review of recent bin picking research and commercial developments.