Scribing is the first point in a boning room at which yield can be lost and is one of the more complex tasks in a processing plant
It's a critical task, and hence one that cannot be performed by unskilled operators due to the accuracy required to maximise yield.
What if gaming experts turned their attention to it?
In the processing sector, AMPC is testing whether gamification could help businesses upskill staff from hands-on operators to console operators, to increase efficiency and productivity, enhance safety and open up roles to a wider field of candidates.
"In essence, gamification is about bringing elements of game-playing, like point scoring, competition or rules of play, into a non-game environment," Mr Shaw explained.
- Our annual Carcase Merit publication will be out on July 22, published in The Land, Queensland Country Life and Stock and Land. It contains many stories like this one, plus on-farm profiles of producers targetting certain carcase traits.
Already an app is designed, and about to be deployed, for training operators to do the scribing process via a console.
In essence, they are immersed on a virtual floor and scored on how accurately and quickly they perform the task.
"It's virtual reality goggles and a virtual saw cutting a virtual carcase, which can then be transferred to real world," Mr Shaw said.
"Eventually we could use the technology for scribing to happen in a virtual world, driving a robot on the processing floor. It may sound aspirational but we are definitely on that path."
Gamification will eventually be linked in with 10 to 15 more processes, Mr Shaw said.
Prototype remote-controlled robots are expected to be on processing floors with 12 to 18 months in a test case scenario.
ALSO IN BEEF:
Shan Goodwin
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Shan Goodwin steers ACM’s national coverage of the beef industry. Shan has worked as a journalist for 30 years, the majority of that with agricultural publications. She spent many years as The Land’s North Coast reporter and has visited beef properties and stations throughout the country and overseas. She treats all breeds equally. Contact 0427686187. E: s.goodwin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
