Tomatoes

The red ones. Delicious, juicy not squishy and definitely, definitely, definitely NOT green.

Have you ever wondered how a tomato (and, while we are at it, other key fresh produce) makes it your local supermarket? Shoppers only want the red tomatoes, and they need to be delivered at massive scale. Are there a myriad of people sorting the tomatoes? Is it this sort of anachronistic process?

Thankfully, NO!

Instead there is an amazing machine, an optical sorter, that uses lasers and cameras to identify and remove unwanted items from a conveyor belt at lightning speed.

See?

Sorcery! How does this sorcery work?

Optical sorters are ludicrously simple in concept. They look at each piece of produce at scale via a fleet of high-resolution cameras as they pass by. If the light is reflected back in a certain way, the machine knows what color that means and if it's a good piece of produce. But if the light is reflected wrongly, absorbed or scattered, then we’re talking about something unwanted, unripe, a stone, a clod of dirt, or rotten fruit.

Once the machine identifies an unwanted item, the machine just needs a split second. A split second, that is, of engineering magic ! The machine knocks away the unwanted item off the belt without damaging the good produce.

The Importance of Durability

These optical sorters are workhorses! They're typically only used for only a few months each year, but during that time they're in constant use. For example, during the tomato harvest season in California, these machines can run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, processing up to 800 tons of tomatoes per hour!

The Good in Optical Sorting

Optical sorting has many benefits for both farmers and consumers. For farmers, it helps to ensure that their produce is of the highest quality. It also helps to reduce waste, which saves money and is better for the environment.

For consumers, optical sorting means that we can enjoy fresh, high-quality produce all year round. It also helps to keep prices down by reducing waste.

Next time you're at the grocery store, take a moment to appreciate the good that comes with the fresh produce you love and desire!