MUSCAT: A group of students from the College of Engineering at Sultan Qaboos University have succeeded in integrating an artificial intelligence technique using computer vision with robotics systems, with the aim of automatically identifying the quality of dates and introducing artificial intelligence ( AI) technology into the food industries.
The project aims to increase food quality by using artificial intelligence to automate food inspection and sorting, increase factory production capacity, reduce the time required to inspect and sort dates, and contribute effectively to food security.
One of the members of the student project team, Asaad bin Saeed Al Hinai, said: The date industry is one of the important industries in the Sultanate of Oman, as it is one of the sources of income and trade. However, date producers face challenges in the sorting process, especially in identifying dates that are spoiled or unsuitable for human consumption. Artificial Intelligence plays an important role in improving the date sorting process in factories, as we carried out a date sorting project using computer vision algorithms and robotics.
He added that the system works to operate artificial intelligence in sorting dates automatically, as the system automates the process of sorting edible dates from spoiled ones, distinguishes the quality of dates automatically, identifies the condition of dates that pass through a production line using artificial intelligence, then transfers them to the appropriate path, and counts the number of dates. Which are sorted and the percentage of spoiled dates from good ones.
Ahmed bin Muhammad Al Habsi, a member of the student project team, explained that the process of introducing artificial intelligence is in food sorting, which is very important, as it begins with introducing dates into the production line via the conveyor belt. After that, the dates are photographed from the top of the production line using a high-resolution camera, through which they are identified. Computer vision distinguishes good dates from bad ones, then the dates are sorted through special gates in a production line.
Saleh bin Yahya Al Ghanami, a member of the student project team, pointed out that there are many challenges facing factories, such as manually sorting spoiled or unusable products. This method is economically expensive, and relying on the human factor may reduce the quality of dates.
Al Ghanami stated that the system’s performance is measured in terms of sorting speed - the amount of dates that are sorted within an hour - and the rate of examination and sorting error, stressing that the system increases the efficiency of the date sorting process compared to traditional methods.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
