MLA Augmented reality for meat grading

Client: MLA - Meat & Livestock Australia
Scope overview: Research and development (R&D) project, to innovate meat grading using computer vision
Project Profile: Download PDF

Project Description

Augmented reality for meat grading—benefits for the Australian meat industry

MLA have partnered with the Wiley Innovation Team, on a research and development (R&D) project, to innovate meat grading using computer vision. The purpose of this research is to develop ‘objective’ measurement and decision support for meat grading staff throughout Australia.

The innovative technology will help strengthen Australia’s position as the world’s leading red meat producers; delivering high quality future supplies to domestic and international markets.

The AR platform, named ARGA (Augmented Reality Grading App) facilitates faster, more consistent and precise meat grading; while taking full advantage of the experience and capabilities of the industry’s meat graders.

The solution is designed to classify the colour of a meat sample, accurately determine the area of the latissimus dorsi muscle, and introduce handsfree scanning of meat sample tickets. These features have been demonstrated on a Vuzix m300 augmented reality headset, as well as on various hand-held devices.

Decision assistance for meat graders may lead to improved transparency and consistent outcomes for the meat industry. Increased precision has obvious benefits such as accuracy on a carcase-by-carcase basis and broader labour efficiencies, but there are also subtle flow-on positive impacts to the industry and processors.

MLA and Wiley are now working together to prepare a Rural R&D for profit submission on an augmented and virtual reality program for all Australian agriculture.

“We can see the potential of augmented and virtual reality in many applications both on farm and in manufacturing.
On farm, augmented reality will become vital as more autonomous vehicles evolve and provide a silent service. These services will only report in when there is a decision for the producer to make. Donning on a pair of glasses will immediately take the producer to the location of the autonomous vehicle and the situation at hand will be presented in panoramic view for the producer to make a decision.

In processing plants, with advancements of objective measurement systems, operational staff will be able to dissect livestock and sub-primals more accurately than with the naked eye.
With processing equipment becoming more and more sophisticated, and by default complicated, mixed reality will be used by operators to start and troubleshoot equipment. Maintenance staff will use the same technology to fast track troubleshooting and repairing sophisticated equipment.”

Sean Starling, General Manager – R&D and Innovation, MLA.