A fuzzy strategy for the robotic folding of fabrics with machine vision feedback

Purpose – Some areas of the apparel industry, such as folding and sewing, are still labor intensive. The purpose of this paper is to present a new fuzzy visual servoing strategy for the folding of fabric strips by robotic manipulators. Design/methodology/approach – Three stages of the folding task are distinguished experimentally, the initial laying, the true folding, and the final laying. An indirect visual servoing fuzzy system, employing two cameras, is developed to guide the robot along each of the stages. Findings – The proposed scheme manages to successfully fold some of the tested materials. The experimental results are promising and well within the limitations posed by both the employed equipment and the nature of the handled materials. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to rectangular strips of fabrics and does not consider the speed of the process. Practical implications – The resulting system provides a stepping stone for the introduction of automation to currently labor‐intensive areas of the apparel industry. Originality/value – The separate folding stages reduce the complexity of the overall system and the introduced visually extracted features allow a closer monitoring of the process.