{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T10:58:37Z","timestamp":1776769117704,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"21","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,24]],"date-time":"2024-10-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1729728000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"ROBOTA-SUDOE-Robotics, Automation, and Digitalization as Drivers of Competitiveness and Growth for SMEs","award":["S1\/1.1\/P0125"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["S1\/1.1\/P0125"]}]},{"name":"ROBOTA-SUDOE-Robotics, Automation, and Digitalization as Drivers of Competitiveness and Growth for SMEs","award":["eSUDOE 2021-2027"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["eSUDOE 2021-2027"]}]},{"name":"ROBOTA-SUDOE-Robotics, Automation, and Digitalization as Drivers of Competitiveness and Growth for SMEs","award":["UIDB\/00151\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00151\/2020"]}]},{"name":"European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and national funds","award":["S1\/1.1\/P0125"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["S1\/1.1\/P0125"]}]},{"name":"European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and national funds","award":["eSUDOE 2021-2027"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["eSUDOE 2021-2027"]}]},{"name":"European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and national funds","award":["UIDB\/00151\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00151\/2020"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia (FCT), C-MAST (Centre for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies)","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["S1\/1.1\/P0125"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["S1\/1.1\/P0125"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia (FCT), C-MAST (Centre for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies)","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["eSUDOE 2021-2027"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["eSUDOE 2021-2027"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia (FCT), C-MAST (Centre for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies)","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UIDB\/00151\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/00151\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Applied Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The food industry increasingly depends on technological assets to improve the efficiency and accuracy of fruit processing and quality control. This article enhances the application of computer vision with collaborative robotics to create a non-destructive system. The system can automate the detection and handling of fruits, particularly tomatoes, reducing the reliance on manual labor and minimizing damage during processing. This system was developed with a Raspberry Pi 5 to capture images of the fruit using a PiCamera module 3. After detecting the object, a command is sent to a Universal Robotics UR3e robotic arm via Ethernet cable, using Python code that integrates company functions and functions developed specifically for this application. Four object detection models were developed using the TensorFlow Object Detection API, converted to TensorFlow Lite, to detect two types of fruit (tomatoes) using deep learning techniques. Each fruit had two versions of the models. The models obtained 67.54% mAP for four classes and 64.66% mAP for two classes, A rectangular work area was created for the robotic arm and computer vision to work together. After 640 manipulation tests, a reliable area of 262 \u00d7 250 mm was determined for operating the system. In fruit sorting facilities, this system can be employed to automatically classify fruits based on size, ripeness, and quality. This ensures consistent product standards and reduces waste by sorting fruits according to pre-defined criteria. The system\u2019s ability to detect multiple fruit types with high accuracy enables it to integrate into existing workflows, thereby increasing productivity and profitability for food processing companies. Additionally, the non-destructive nature of this technology allows for the inspection of fruits without causing any damage, ensuring that only the highest-quality produce is selected for further processing. This application can enhance the speed and precision of quality control processes, leading to improved product quality and customer satisfaction.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/app14219727","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,24]],"date-time":"2024-10-24T09:11:47Z","timestamp":1729761107000},"page":"9727","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Computer Vision as a Tool to Support Quality Control and Robotic Handling of Fruit: A Case Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Est\u00eav\u00e3o Vale","family":"Filho","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Electromechanical Engineering, University of Beira Interior, Rua Marqu\u00eas de D\u2019\u00c1vila e Bolama, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"C-MAST\u2014Centre for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Luan","family":"Lang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Electromechanical Engineering, University of Beira Interior, Rua Marqu\u00eas de D\u2019\u00c1vila e Bolama, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"C-MAST\u2014Centre for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0672-0378","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martim L.","family":"Aguiar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Electromechanical Engineering, University of Beira Interior, Rua Marqu\u00eas de D\u2019\u00c1vila e Bolama, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"C-MAST\u2014Centre for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-6599-6905","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rodrigo","family":"Antunes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Electromechanical Engineering, University of Beira Interior, Rua Marqu\u00eas de D\u2019\u00c1vila e Bolama, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"C-MAST\u2014Centre for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7177-751X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nuno","family":"Pereira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Electromechanical Engineering, University of Beira Interior, Rua Marqu\u00eas de D\u2019\u00c1vila e Bolama, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"C-MAST\u2014Centre for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1691-1709","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro Dinis","family":"Gaspar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Electromechanical Engineering, University of Beira Interior, Rua Marqu\u00eas de D\u2019\u00c1vila e Bolama, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"},{"name":"C-MAST\u2014Centre for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies, 6201-001 Covilh\u00e3, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"FAO (2024, May 20). 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