Summary: Researchers in the Department of Computer Science at UCLA developed an affordable, non-invasive fruit ripeness estimation system to improve operational efficiency of food manufacturing systems. Background: Fruit waste accounts for a significant portion of global waste due to consumer purchasing trends and grower harvesting issues. Consumers often struggle to select ripe and high-quality fruit, while growers must harvest crops slightly immature to ensure they ripen during transportation. During transit, improper handling, inconsistent storage conditions, and inadequate quality assessment can lead to an overall decrease in customer satisfaction. Current fruit assessment systems, although commercially available, are typically bulky, often fail to meet performance expectations, and are influenced by the fruit’s shape and size. Additionally, these systems can be prohibitively expensive and require specialized equipment. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop an affordable, non-invasive, and robust fruit ripeness estimation system to address this growing issue. Such a system would ensure that high-quality, ripe fruits reach consumers, significantly reducing waste and enhancing consumer satisfaction.
Innovation: UCLA researchers have developed FruitScope, the first low-cost and non-invasive fruit ripeness estimation system with high accuracy and robustness. This system utilizes two signal processing systems to estimate the sugar and water content, independent of the fruit’s shape and size. The system utilizes two sensing methods: Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radars in the millimeter wave band, small enough to penetrate through fruits, and acoustic waves. These two systems alleviate the need for highly specialized equipment by using a low-cost commodity off-the-shelf radar. This system was demonstrated to decrease the error of ripeness categorization by 3-5%, significantly lower than the accepted error in the agriculture industry. This innovation addresses the limitations of existing systems and represents a significant step forward to reduce fruit waste and improve the fruit supply chain.
Potential Applications: • Harvesting optimization for farmers • Inventory management based on ripeness, reducing waste, and ensuring fruits are sold at their best • Quality control in supermarkets • Restaurant ingredient Selection • Personal ingredient usage as a household ripeness measuring system • Regulatory compliance for fruit quality and ripeness • Agricultural research and development
Advantages: • Low-Cost ripeness estimation • High Accuracy and robustness • Non-Invasive • Versatility • Scalability to use in personal kitchens or large agricultural operations
State of Development: The inventors have submitted a paper for peer reviewed publication that will be in-press in October 2024.
Related Papers:
• Wang, S., Abari, O., FruitScope: A Non-Invasive Fruit Ripeness Sensing System via Multi-Resolution FMCW Design and Acoustic Sensing
Reference: UCLA Case No. 2025-007