Smart automation in luxury leather shoe polishing: a human centric robotic approach

The polishing of luxury leather shoes is a delicate, labor-intensive process traditionally performed by skilled craftsmen. Footwear companies aim to automate parts of this process to enhance quality, productivity and operator well-being, but the unique nature of luxury shoe production presents challenges. This paper introduces a solution involving a collaborative robotic cell to assist in shoe polishing. A collaborative robotic manipulator, equipped with a specialized tool and governed by force control, executes the polishing tasks. Key factors such as trajectory design, applied force, polishing speed and polish amount were analyzed. Polishing trajectories are designed using CAM software and transferred to the robot’s control system. Human operators design the process, supervise the robot and perform final finishing, ensuring their expertise is integral to achieving quality. Extensive testing on various shoe models showed significant improvements in quality and reliability, leading to successful implementation on an industrial production line.