INTELLIGENT
3D IMAGING Paul Wilson, CEO of Scorpion Vision, explains the advantages of intelligent 3D imaging with artificial neural networks in the fresh food packaging industry.
The lack of seasonal workers to pick and pack vegetables and fruit across Europe is acute according to an article in The Food Navigator.
requires an ‘intelligent’ 3D vision system that can analyse the shape of the product to find the optimum cut point.
For example, in France it is estimated that up to 800,000 people are needed during the harvest season. Automation systems for harvesting and post-harvest processing can help solve these problems but it is still relatively early days in terms of the existing technological capability available to the horticultural industry. Automated harvesting of crops in the field is one big challenge that will not be solved overnight. One company that appears to be making good headway in this area is Israeli based FFRobotics, who have developed an apple harvesting solution which they claim works as fast as eight people. However, this system cannot be used to harvest other produce. Nevertheless, it’s a good start and perhaps the technology can be adapted for pears and other tree hanging fruit over time. Then there is the challenge of preparing the product for packing. This often requires trimming and cutting and is a very labour-intensive task. The most demanding aspect of automation in food production is the sheer diversity of what the produce might look like and how it is presented. If we consider the automated trimming of root vegetables - top and tailing of leeks for example, then the procedure requires locating the correct cut points without losing too much of the stalk and not undercutting it, so it leaves some of the roots in place. To ensure this is done accurately, it
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The cutting coordinates can then be sent to a robot or servos, so that the final trimming can be completed accurately with repeatability - and faster than a human that only a machine can achieve. The benefits here are not just more optimum trimming but also the ability to scale up production without increasing the reliance on humans. Such is the efficiency of the system it is feasible to realise a return on investment within a few months of the initial capital investment in the system. Scorpion Vision has provided the technology to enable mass sorting and processing of freshly harvested fruit and vegetables. Combining 3D imaging with artificial neural networks offers great advantages over classic machine vision. The ability to look at and analyse each individual vegetable, be it leek, carrot,
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