TL;DR:
- AI, machine vision, and advanced robotics are revolutionizing the food industry, with strawberries as a compelling case study.
- Improving strawberry shelf-life by a single day can yield millions of pounds in profits for retailers.
- Tech firms are developing AI solutions to guide farmers in picking fruit at the perfect time, reducing waste and boosting profits.
- OneThird, a Dutch tech firm, uses spectral data and AI to quantify the ripeness of produce and optimize shelf-life predictions.
- Optical scanners deployed throughout the supply chain track strawberry shelf-life, improving production management.
- AI-powered scanners enable shoppers to accurately assess fruit ripeness and prevent damage.
- Crop-picking robots, such as Organifarms’ BERRY, leverage AI and image recognition to safely harvest strawberries.
- AI algorithms optimize growing conditions for white strawberries, significantly reducing crop loss rates.
- Smart agriculture events in China demonstrate the potential of AI to enhance strawberry growth, while human workers excel in tasks like plant defoliation and disease detection.
Main AI News:
In the realm of technology’s impact on food production, strawberries emerge as a captivating case study, highlighting how artificial intelligence (AI), machine vision, and advanced robotics are transforming the landscape for growers. Even a mere one-day extension of strawberry shelf-life holds immense value, amounting to millions of pounds in profits for major food retailers. Consequently, tech firms are actively developing AI solutions that guide farmers in precisely determining the optimal harvesting time, leading to increased profitability and reduced food waste.
The fresh produce industry has long grappled with accurately predicting shelf life, leading to significant losses. OneThird, a Dutch tech firm specializing in spectral data and AI, laments this challenge on their website, emphasizing how retailers are forced to discard fruits and vegetables worth hundreds of millions of dollars, ultimately eroding their profits by 10-40%. Furthermore, such wastage imposes an extravagant burden on the environment, considering the excessive fresh water consumption and CO2 emissions involved in the cultivation and transportation of these perishable goods.
To tackle these issues, OneThird has forged partnerships with Bakker Barendrecht, a prominent Dutch fruit and vegetable supplier, and Albert Heijn, the largest supermarket operator in The Netherlands. Together, they strive to enhance produce management by deploying optical scanners along the entire supply chain, from growers and distributors to retailers. These scanners meticulously track the shelf-life of strawberries and other high-value produce, empowering growers to assess fruit quality and quantify defects, enabling distributors to make informed decisions about batch allocation based on shelf-life considerations. Even food shoppers at supermarkets benefit from this technology, utilizing scanners to ascertain when goods will reach peak ripeness.
Avocado buyers are familiar with the customary method of assessing ripeness through manual squeezing. However, store-provided scanners now offer customers a more accurate alternative, sparing the delicate flesh beneath the avocado skin from bruises and damage. Customers can simply place their avocado in an optical port for analysis and view the ripeness score displayed on-screen, categorized as critical, ready-to-eat, or firm.
During the CES show in Las Vegas earlier this year, OneThird showcased its technology, unveiling units that cater to a wide array of exotic fruits, including mangoes and bananas. While their current focus lies in leveraging optical readings and AI to quantify the shelf-life of strawberries and other produce, imaging techniques hold immense potential for optimizing supply chain performance in various ways.
Notably, strawberries have emerged as a popular target for crop-picking robots. With farmers facing a shortage of fruit pickers, agritech firms have stepped up to address this burgeoning market for automated services. One such firm, Organifarms, has developed a strawberry-harvesting robot named BERRY, equipped with image recognition software. BERRY can reliably and safely determine the fruit best suited to meet the grower’s specific needs, factoring in the season, time of year, and customer preferences.
Pineberries, a highly sought-after variety of strawberries, have become the focus of yet another intersection between strawberries and AI. These white strawberries, known for their delightful pineapple flavor, present unique challenges in cultivation, requiring considerable expertise to generate high yields. Researchers in Taiwan have employed AI algorithms to optimize growing conditions for white strawberries, fine-tuning factors such as water and light levels, as well as temperature settings that control humidity and prevent the growth of fungi and pests detrimental to strawberry crops. The introduction of AI has significantly reduced crop loss rates for white strawberries from a staggering 70% to a mere 20%, showcasing the potential of algorithms to benefit strawberry producers and the agricultural sector at large.
In China, agritech workers have expressed great confidence in AI’s ability to enhance strawberry growth and improve overall product quality. Consequently, competitions have been organized, pitting startups against experienced farmers to test the capabilities of AI-driven systems. These smart agriculture events, sponsored by Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo and held in Yunnan, have shed light on the tasks best suited for robots and AI. Interestingly, the competitions also underscored the continued relevance of human workers in defoliating plants and maintaining crop health. Farmers demonstrated an unparalleled ability to swiftly identify signs of disease compared to AI systems, ensuring the flourishing growth of strawberries.
Although humans still play an indispensable role in food production, it is not implausible to imagine a future where AI algorithms, armed with copious amounts of data, continue to learn and surpass human capabilities in managing produce. In such a scenario, humans can take solace in enjoying lusciously ripe strawberries, pineberries with a hint of pineapple, delectable avocados, and an assortment of other fruits, all made possible by the remarkable power of AI. This future holds great promise for the food industry, and the prospect of bountiful harvests serves as a testament to the transformative potential of AI in agriculture.
Conclusion:
The integration of AI, machine vision, and advanced robotics in the strawberry industry presents significant opportunities for market growth. By improving shelf-life predictions and reducing food waste, AI solutions can enhance profitability for retailers and growers alike. The deployment of optical scanners throughout the supply chain optimizes produce management, leading to improved efficiency and quality.
Additionally, the emergence of crop-picking robots and AI-optimized growing conditions showcases the potential for increased productivity and reduced crop loss rates. While human expertise remains vital in certain aspects of strawberry cultivation, the future of the market is poised for transformation through AI-driven advancements. Businesses should embrace these technologies to gain a competitive edge and capitalize on the benefits they offer in terms of profitability and sustainability.
