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Fresh from the
Field is a weekly album showcasing transformative impacts made by
partners supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Editor: Falita Liles Sept.27, 2018
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Success Stories
 Artificial
Intelligence with Strawberries May Improve Food Quality and Safety While
Minimizing Field Labor
Industry Vision Automation Corporation
received Phase I and Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grants to
design a system to remove the calyx (green leafy stem area) from strawberries
processing and packaging. Currently this
process is done manually with a knife.
They developed a neural network structure and algorithm designed to
perform the defect detection and sorting, strawberry orientation detection, and
precision cutting using a high pressure water cutting system. The company developed an
initial prototype unit with user interface that consists of subsystems of
hardware control electronics, calyxes cutting line detection algorithm,
high-pressure water cutting system, residual rejection system and controls.
NIFA supports this
research through the Small Business Research Initiative. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.
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News Coverage
Robots to Replace Conventional Yield Checks
Researchers
at Carnegie Mellon University have created a camera-equipped vehicle that can
detect fruit via automated image analysis. Image data gives producers the
ability to predict yield well ahead of harvest, which saves them money and time
by allowing growers to properly prepare for labor, shipping, storage,
marketing, and sales. Further, it also replaces time consuming and repetitive
late season conventional yield checks.
NIFA
supports this research through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.
USDA Photo.
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Library
 Let the Robot Carry (and Manage) the Bins
Preliminary conceptual development
field trials by Washington State University indicate that the productivity of
fruit picking could be improved by 50 percent if the collection bins within
harvesting sites could be better managed. This $1 million AFRI-funded project
aims to develop an intelligent bin-managing system supported by a robotic
self-propelled fruit bin carrier.
NIFA supports this
research through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. USDA photo.
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Tweet of the Week
#NIFAIMPACTS
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NIFA’s mission is to invest in and advance agricultural research, education, and extension that solve societal challenges. NIFA’s investments in transformative science directly support the long-term prosperity and global preeminence of U.S. agriculture. To learn more about NIFA’s impact on agricultural sciences, visit www.nifa.usda.gov/Impacts, sign up for email updates or follow us on Twitter @USDA_NIFA, #NIFAImpacts.
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