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ABOUT FPTD

FPTD develops next-generation technologies for processing efficiency and operational enhancement in the food processing and general manufacturing industries. A unique research unit of the Georgia Tech Research Institute, FPTD works collaboratively with university and industry partners on projects involving advanced robotics and automation, imaging and sensing, environmental, energy, and worker and food safety technologies. Our goal is to transition technologies from concept to practice, as quickly and economically as possible.

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Events

Process Automation: Better, faster, cheaper --- Can you have all three? >
January 18, 2012
Online Webinar — 2:00 pm EST

International Poultry Expo >
January 24 - 26, 2012
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, GA

2012 National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry >
June 6 - 8, 2012
Sawgrass Marriott Resort
Pointe Vedra Beach, FL

ATRP is now on Facebook

GTRI’s Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP) is now on Facebook, featuring information about exciting research initiatives underway, interesting poultry and food industry news, industry events, photos, videos, and more! We invite you to become a fan by clicking the “like” button on our page — www.facebook.com/ATRP.GTRI

Special Interest

Poultry 2020: Building a vision >

How do we become relevant players in the public and political discourse about the future of agriculture without becoming politicos and policy pundits ourselves? How do we as the poultry community become the "go-to" resource that the federal agencies rely on for information and guidance when forming these programs?

The answer begins with: Cast the Vision! Thinking outside the box for just a moment, envision what poultry production could look like ideally in 10, 20, or even 50 years from now? Will we still be raising birds the same way? Will "hot-deboning" be the accepted method for removing the meat from the frame? Will irradiation systems be standard equipment in all plants for ensuring food safety? Might the chiller become a thing of the past?

Publications

PoultryTech Newsletter >
Fall 2011

To receiveyour free subscription to the PoultryTech newsletter, simply complete the short form located here.

It’s that easy!

As a PoultryTech subscriber, you will receive two printed issues mailed directly to you in the Spring and Fall and one electronic issue sent to your email address each Summer.

Your information will remain confidential, and we will only send you the newsletter, research updates and event invitations with your permission. You can unsubscribe any time.

2011 ATRP Annual Report >

ATRP Program Brochure >

Publications Archive

RESEARCH AREAS

Advanced Imaging and Sensor Technologies

Robotics and Automation Systems

Environmental and Biological Systems

Food and Product Safety Research

Worker Safety Research

Energy and Fuel Cell Research

Air Quality Research

Food Processing Technology Building

View the Food Processing Technology Building brochure >

Directions: Food Processing Technology Building >

 

RESEARCH NEWS

Manager's Corner

A Message from Doug Britton, ATRP Program Manager

Fundamentally reinventing poultry production and processing is a monumental task. If we hope to be successful at this endeavor, it will require participation and expertise from the entire poultry community. Many have already begun to think about future challenges, and I want to encourage you to take the opportunity to participate in industry and professional meetings that focus on innovation and the future of the poultry industry.

Innovative Robot Uses 3D Imaging and a Novel Cutting Approach to Automatically Debone Poultry

Gary McMurray, chief of the Food Processing Technology Division at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), is spearheading the development of an Intelligent Cutting and Deboning System that uses 3D imaging and a robotic cutting arm to automatically perform precision cuts that optimize yield while eliminating the risk of bone fragments in finished product.

Encoding Expert Knowledge for Food Processing Technologies

People are versatile and can learn to function expertly in many different capacities. As we move forward into conceiving a poultry processing plant of the future — which will be made up of highly adaptable and scalable systems that are simultaneously capable of handling “lot sizes of one” — this kind of versatility will be invaluable. In the context of automation, we invite the reader to envision a new breed of all-purpose robots working inside a poultry processing plant. These robots would be made of almost generic hardware (in the same way that human beings are all physiologically similar), but their control algorithms (their “training,” from which expertise in using one’s five senses is derived) would be custom-tailored for accomplishing a myriad of different processing tasks. In all likelihood, some of the tasks in the poultry processing plant of the future have yet to be foreseen.

Trends in Remote and Mobile Information Access Technologies

As access to the Internet becomes more commonplace and more mobile, the ability to gather information from anywhere has moved from being a luxury to being an essential part of doing business. This past July, IT professionals from across the poultry industry gathered for the 2011 Information Systems seminar in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, to learn more about this growing trend. Sponsored by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, the seminar focused on emerging information technologies such as remote monitoring and data gathering, virtual desktops and web applications, and remote data access.

Researcher Profile: Jie Xu

Job title: Senior Research Scientist
Education: Ph.D., Analytical Chemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology
Areas of research expertise: Bioanalytical chemistry