Watermelon technology business Smart Melon is developing a computer-vision system that turns the harvest aid into a data-collection point, counting, sizing, and grading individual fruit in real time as they are picked.
The system, Smart Vision, uses 3D camera technology, software, and analytics to capture information about each watermelon as it moves through the field harvest aid during picking. Founder Rod Attwood says it is designed to replace data collection that is currently manual, inconsistent, or simply unavailable.
© SMART Melon
“Traditional yield data generally tells growers how much product has been harvested from a particular area,” Attwood says. “Smartvision aims to capture a much richer dataset at the individual fruit level.”
That dataset could include fruit counts, estimated weight and yield by growing area, harvest rejection rates, individual fruit size and size distribution, observable quality indicators, and individual fruit identification and traceability. The aim, Attwood says, is to let growers see not just how much was harvested, but what was harvested, where it came from and how it varies across the farm.
The harvest system is designed to work alongside Smart tap, the company’s handheld, non-destructive maturity assessment device, which has been its main commercial focus to date. Rather than cutting fruit to check maturity, growers use the device to build a picture of ripeness across a block.
© SMART Melon
“By bringing these datasets together, we can begin to understand the relationship between crop maturity, harvest timing, yield and fruit characteristics,” Attwood says. “Growers could identify areas of a block that are reaching maturity earlier or later, then compare that with the actual harvest results from those areas.”
Smart vision is still at an early stage. It has been trialled across grower operations, with further commercial trials planned for December. One complication, Attwood says, is that harvest aids differ considerably between growers, so the cameras, installation and software have to be configured to suit each operation.
He is wary of generating data for its own sake.
“Growers are practical people,” Attwood says. “Technology needs to solve a real problem, be easy to use and deliver a measurable commercial benefit. We aren’t developing technology simply to generate more data.”
The two harvest tools sit within a wider family of platforms. Smart Grow, developed with Plant Nutrition Australia, covers crop nutrition and health, while a longer-term ambition, Smart Harvest, would use the combined data to move towards greater automation of harvesting and grading. All of it is intended to feed a central data environment, the Smart Control Centre, pulling together GPS, maturity, climate, agronomy, yield and harvest data.
© SMART MelonThe dream at the end of the Smart Melon chain.
The piece Attwood is keenest to sell sits at the end of the chain. Under the Smart Melon banner, he wants to develop branded, quality-assured watermelon lines, using objective maturity and quality data to deliver more consistent fruit, rebuild consumer confidence in the category and command a premium. It is an ambition rather than a reality at this stage, and one he sums up in the company’s tagline, “from Seeds to Smiles”.
For now, the focus is firmly on watermelon, though Attwood says the underlying technology could eventually be adapted to other crops that face similar challenges around maturity, quality and harvest data, such as pineapples, pumpkins and durian.
“Each crop will require its own research, development and commercial validation,” he says. “Our immediate priority remains getting the watermelon platform right and establishing a strong commercial foundation.”
For more information:
Rod Attwood
SMART Melon | SMA Research and Technology Pty Ltd
Tel: +61 409 608 752
(email protected)
www.smartmelon.com.au