A machine vision system controlling the cutting of animal hide

Based on the integration of image acquisition techniques and real-time systems, an innovative system for cutting raw hides has been developed at ISTI-CNR. The aim is to partly automate the cutting process, so that minimal human intervention is needed. The current procedure for cutting animal hide is completely manual. The hide is spread out on a bench and expert operators decide the best cutting lines on the basis of the location of specific features. The hide is then manually cut using ad hoc knives and the parts are removed from the bench. The work of cutting the hide is the most time consuming step, and requires three or four workers.