February 18, 2020

 

Moba's next step: Hygienic program with artificial intelligence

 

Moba is proud to announce two innovations in the field of crack detection for eggs using artificial intelligence.

 

 

As hygiene becomes more important in the egg industry, Moba takes the next step in its hygienic program with the development. The existing Crack Detector and Shell Strength Detector will become standard features in Moba's Shell Inspector.

 

Shell strength becomes a standard feature of crack detection

 

Moba is committed to adding new and valuable functions to its existing portfolio. For markets where optimising flock efficiency is key, the monitoring and efficient handling of different shell qualities can have a surprisingly positive result for businesses. The shell strength detection function is a valuable addition.

 

Moba launched this function last year to detect the shell strength of every individual egg. This innovation is based on acoustic analysis and enables our customers to do two things:

 

1.           Monitor flocks based on average shell quality and uniformity within a supply of eggs

2.           Grade eggs based on shell quality. This means that from a flock of relatively low quality, the stronger shells (which still often represent 80–90% of the eggs) go to retail products, while only the worst are downgraded to an industrial product.

 

After testing this function at various test sites, it has been proven to work and will become a standard feature of Moba's crack detection function. This means that from August 2020, all Omnia machines that are equipped with a crack detector will also offer shell strength detection as an additional standard feature.

 

The functionality is also supported by iMoba so that overviews of flocks can be generated easily.

 
Moba's next step in its hygienic program: Vision crack detection using Artificial Intelligence

In recent history, salmonella contamination triggered a rapid change of perspective on hygiene in the North American egg market. Cooperation between research institutes, branch organizations and the USDA has led to new guidelines on product handling. With this in mind,Moba launched a hygienic program last year. The first step was the Multi Outlet concept, a way to separate dirty eggs from the production line at the earliest possible stage.

 

The next step occurs a little further downstream where eggs are inspected for cracks. Mobahas announced a futuristic development program to incorporate Artificial Intelligence into a vision system for detecting cracks. The rapidly changing technology in this field enables functions that were unthinkable a few years ago. This type of contactless system is the logical next step in Moba's hygienic program. Moba started this project together with its long-term partner company IHFood from Denmark, a company that has a long and proven reputation in the field of professional vision detection systems.

 

Artificial Intelligence and deep-learning technology have been applied for many years in Moba's unsurpassed Egg Inspector, used for leaker and dirt detection. This technology has become so mature, that even searching for cracks which are barely visible to the human eye, is within reach. Technology that was already proven by Moba researchers in the lab some years ago is now ready for commercial application. Moba expects commercial units within a year.

 

Different markets; different requirements

 

Paul de Schouwer, Moba commercial director of Mobasaid the two innovations are a perfect example of how Moba tries to serve various markets simultaneously. Where most market segments focus on optimising profits and squeezing the highest possible yield out of the logistical balancing act between supplies and products, other market segments are dealing with unheard hygienic challenges. To an extent, it has become that simplicity prevails over the yield of the operation.

 

He added that in such a situation, the new technology using artificial intelligencewill certainly help with simplifying things.Many vision-based attempts for crack detection have failed so far. The reason was always an unsustainable balance between low detection rates and high false rejects. Moba's new technology overcomes this. Artificial intelligence evolves at an enormous pace, so the company is sure that it will be found more and more in its egg graders.

 

For more information, visit www.moba.net.