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FOOD PROCESSING & PACKAGING
AI GETS TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM Paul Wilson, MD,
Scorpion Vision, explains how AI helps reduce waste in veg trimming
rtificial Intelligence (AI) has arrived in the fresh produce industry and the results are astounding: waste associated with inaccurate trimming of vegetables is being slashed to zero and flawless product presentation is now a reality.
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Topping and tailing vegetables such as leeks, sprouts, carrots, parsnips and swedes is dirty work. Somebody has to do it but, increasingly, nobody wants to. This situation has been exacerbated in recent years as labour availability has plummeted, prompting the vegetable processing industry to look to automation.
Optical trimming systems guided by classic 3D machine vision technology have, to date, presented the best available option for automating this operation. However, they represent a compromise rather than a solution. Classic 3D machine vision can only look for features that conform to a pattern or shape that is expected: the tip of a carrot or the stem plate on a leek, for example. However, vegetables don’t come in a fixed size, shape or colour, and this inherent variability translates to compromised cutting performance. Taking leeks as an example, with an automation platform that relies on classic machine vision, just 60% of processed leeks will be cut at exactly the correct point. The rest will either be cut roughly, at a poor angle or slightly too short or long. Some may be written off altogether or not cut at all. This level of waste is unacceptable from a commercial and an environmental standpoint.
The arrival of AI has introduced a new world of opportunity for revolutionising the performance and efficiency of camera-driven cutting systems. In the leek trimming example, it can be difficult to determine the stem plate when it is obscured by roots or other debris. A camera with AI can look at and analyse each individual vegetable before making a decision on how to process it. The machine simply needs to be shown some examples of the stem plate in a variety of conditions and it will learn what to look for, enabling it to formulate its own conclusion about what it is seeing. AI does this by augmenting classic computer vision algorithms with models called neural networks. When a computer receives an image, machine vision software compares that image data with a neural network model. This process, called deep learning inference, allows computers to recognise very subtle differences.
The net result is much more robust image processing. Stereo vision will enable the
dimensions of the product to be detected in the X, Y and Z axes, but overlaying AI enables the camera to recognise features that it wouldn’t normally. A machine vision system that utilises AI can achieve repeatability of 99%, yielding a return on investment in a matter of months through waste reduction and yield improvement alone.
Off-the-shelf cameras with built in AI are widely available and attractive from a cost perspective, but won’t match the levels of repeatability that we can guarantee with our bespoke systems. For Scorpion Vision, the starting point is the conception of a stereo camera array that can be used by the system’s software to create an electronic 3D model of the vegetable. This 3D image processing is then combined with AI to power intelligent objective decision making and incorporated into Scorpion’s proven automation platform.
Besides leek trimming, these are some of the applications in which Scorpion excels: • Lettuce decoring: a 3D lettuce decorer analyses the lettuce in real time, calculates the position of the heart and directs a robot to extract it with an ultrasonic blade. • Carrot batoning: using 3D vision in tandem with AI allows the carrot to be measured up before it is batoned to eliminate any margin for error and waste. Scorpion Vision’s advanced stereo vision and neural network solution, the Scorpion 3D Neural Camera, can achieve repeatable precision when trimming vegetables. Combining 3D imaging with AI translates directly to bottom line benefits for farmers, processors and packers through higher yields and reduced reliance on manual labour. It also improves product presentation and reduces waste, as inaccurate cutting is slashed to virtually zero.
Scorpion Vision
www.scorpionvision.co.uk
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