Machine vision and robotic arm coordination for automated medical object handling—a systematic literature review

Closed

Adhan Efendi

2026 Iran Journal of Computer Science Vol. 9 Issue 1 Review Cited by 0 SDG 9SDG 16 Quartile

Abstract

This study presents a systematic PRISMA-guided review of 24 articles from leading databases, including MDPI, Wiley, ScienceDirect, Sage, IEEE Xplore, Chemical Science, Springer, and Elsevier, with the majority of research conducted in China. The review synthesizes advancements in collaborative robotic arms, such as UR5 and KUKA LBR iiwa, equipped with RGB-D, stereo vision, or Time-of-Flight cameras, for automated medical object handling in pharmaceutical and healthcare environments. Machine learning techniques, including deep learning, reinforcement learning, and deep reinforcement learning, implemented with YOLO and Mask R-CNN, enable object detection, grasp planning, and autonomous manipulation. Key challenges identified include lighting and occlusion sensitivity, rare or complex packaging, depth perception limitations, and environmental variability, all of which can impact detection and grasping performance. Mitigation strategies such as data augmentation, synthetic data generation, multi-view simulation, and transfer learning have proven effective in enhancing robustness and operational reliability. The findings highlight implications for improving efficiency, precision, and safety. Future research should focus on hybrid AI integration, adaptive vision systems, end-to-end learning, and digital twin validation to optimize real-world deployment in pharmaceutical settings. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

Affiliations

Department of Mechanical Engineering Education, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia

Research at a Glance

Premium content — register to unlock

Research at a Glance

Register to unlock

Topics & SDG Alignment

Premium content — register to unlock

Topics & SDG Alignment

Register to unlock

Collaboration

Premium content — register to unlock

Collaboration

Register to unlock

Author Profile (Selected)

Premium content — register to unlock

Author Profile (Selected)

Register to unlock

References Overview

Premium content — register to unlock

References Overview

Register to unlock

Journal & Source

Premium content — register to unlock

Journal & Source

Register to unlock

Metadata & Integrity

Premium content — register to unlock

Metadata & Integrity

Register to unlock