Breaking

14/11/2020

Now the quality of rice will be tested by software

 Experts from all over the world are constantly striving for new discoveries and research in the field of science and technology. Along with these experts, young people from different countries are also second to none in this work and they too are working hard to expand this canvas. Have happened

In this regard, the youth of Pakistan is also second to none in showing the essence of their abilities. Has developed a software using Artificial Intelligence. It is the first Artificial Intelligence software in Pakistan.


In addition to meeting our food needs, rice is also an important source of foreign exchange through exports. Its price is determined on the basis of classification and quality. So far in Pakistan, this is done by manual methods. Which is a very time consuming and difficult task. But in the modern and fast paced era, scientists and engineers have made every difficult and time consuming task easier through technology.

In this regard, the talented youth have eased the difficulty of rice growers, millers, traders and exporters through modern technology. How does this software test the quality of rice and how will it be beneficial for the rice industry in the future? In this regard, we spoke to Hafiz Ahsan-ur-Rehman, a member of the Smart City Lab, National Center for Artificial Intelligence and a research associate, the details of which are vow readers.

Q: Tell us about your education?

A: I have a Masters in Electronics and Computer Systems Engineering from a private university. I am now serving as a Research Associate at the Smart City Lab National Center for Artificial Intelligence at NED University.

There are about eight people working in this lab from different engineering universities. We work on ideas that have some significance in life, that is, those that will come in handy in the future and make any difficult task easier for us. ۔

Q: What is the software developed to test the quality of rice?

A: We planned to design this software in 2018, because Pakistan is the tenth largest rice producing country in the world. Initially, the idea of ​​this project was given to a group of four students and told Prototype on it and bring it in the form of MVP (minimum viable product). After working on this project for a year, when we saw the results, we realized that we introduced this software in the market. Since then, many graduate and master's students have worked on the project. There are four main parts to this software. The most important part is the scanner, the software on which the whole program depends. Computer system to check the quality of rice.

First the scanner is spread with rice grains so that they can be scanned properly. Then the scanner is turned off. It works just like a normal paper scanner. Then an image is created with the help of software. After the image is created, the software processes it and presents the results of how much rice is bad, how much is broken, how many grains are proven and how much they weigh. The actual image also shows what kind of rice you kept and where the rice is spoiled, it is marked.

After these steps the software gives two reports which are very important for the rice industry, millers, traders and exporters, as they contain complete information about the quality of rice. The special thing about this software is that we In this, they are telling the percentage in terms of weight. That is, how much is the weight of all the grains of rice that are fixed and broken.

But it is very important for the industry, because when rice is being exported, the point of how much the broken rice weighs is very important. Then its price is determined by calculation. If you It takes a lot of time to do this manual. But our software can do this job in a few minutes.

Q: What are the key design points of this software?

A: It uses 70% Artificial Intelligence (AI). After a while, we will use Advanced Artificial Intelligence, because the software does not yet have a color recognition feature. For example, rice is red, yellow or any other color. But using AI, we will soon add this feature to it.

In the future, we will also add a feature to identify the type of rice. Currently, AI only works to check broken rice and weight. This software is capable of analyzing the length, thickness, proportion of broken grains, average weight and other important features of rice. It easily checks the quality of all types of rice and reports any defects in them.

Q: How many people does your team consist of?

A: Different people worked on this project for two years. Initially there was a group of four people who worked on it. Then the masters students worked on it and now I am working on it. But six people have worked and all of them are from different fields of engineering.

Q: What is the name of this software?

A: It was named Rice Quality Analyzers (RQA).

Q: How long does it take to test the quality of rice through this?

A: It takes one minute to test ten grams of rice. We have done this because it is the rule of the rice industry that only ten grams of rice is tested at a time. Even if more rice is added to it, this software will work in the same way. Being overweight will not affect the process.

It is important to mention here that one of the main reasons for having ten grams is that so far in the rice industry this work is done by hand and it takes about an hour to test ten grams. It is done in a minute. But even if the weight is more than ten grams, it will not make any difference.

Q: What are the results of the tests that have been done so far?

A: So far no matter how many times the test has been done in terms of broken rice, fixed, length and width, the results are 99% correct.

Q: How long did it take to prepare?

A: It took two years to complete it. No testing was done on it during this time.

Q: How much did it cost to prepare and did you bear the cost yourself or was it funded from somewhere?

A: In 2018, when four students were doing this project, HEC had provided funds for it. At that time, all the expenses were borne by HEC, because these students proposed to HEC. Wrote, in which he told about his project that we want to design a software for testing rice. So the HEC liked the proposal and immediately agreed to fund it. But the funding was for one year. Later, the costs were borne by the Smart City Lab. Preparation has cost Rs. 1 million.

Q: Have you determined the price?

A: Our plan is that when this software starts working on a commercial basis, we will provide the software to the rice industry on a one-year contract, the price of which has been fixed at Rs. One lakh. So she can buy it again.

In a one-year contract, we will provide the company with scanners and software. The computer system will have to use its own. So far, several companies from all over Pakistan have approached us to buy it. In addition, there have been calls from foreign countries.

Q: Will it be further improved in the future?

A: We intend to bring it to the commercial level in the future, for which we need about two million rupees. So far most of the demand has come from the province of Punjab. Going forward, we will identify the type and color of rice in it. Will be added. Hopefully this feature will be added in six months. The other important thing we plan to do is that if a rice company wants to design a software of their choice, we can do so.

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