Poultry Screening Technology Going to Market

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Jan. 3 -- Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) has given a food plant management company the go-ahead to market its machine-vision poultry screening system.

The company -- Thinkage, of Bridgewater, N.J. -- will incorporate the machine-vision technology into its Think Gates data monitoring and display platform.

GTRI's Food Processing Technology Div. is a research unit focused on new technology for the poultry and food processing industries. More than 40 engineers and scientists work together to develop computer vision, robotics, plant ergonomics, biosensor and wearable computer technology.

The machine-vision system, which is installed on the kill line of poultry processing plants, uses computer and imaging equipment and identification algorithms to automatically detect septicemia/toxemia and other defects.

According to Craig Wyvill, chief of GTRI's Food Processing Technology Div., the machine-vision system can screen up to 200 birds per minute and captures product and process quality information critical to improving operational control.

"Unlike the accuracy of visual screening by the naked eye -- which has been found to fluctuate greatly over time -- this automated detection system is proving to be both efficient and effective in determining if a bird has a systemic defect or if there are other quality problems," said Wayne Daley, who has led the development effort for GTRI.

"We are committed to bringing advanced vision systems to the food industry. By uniting this vision system with the measurement and control capabilities of the Think Gates network, the key quality parameters of each bird can be tracked and managed," Wyvill added.

For more information, visit: www.gtri.gatech.edu/eoeml/fpt/proj_inpdevices.html