SUPPLY CHAIN Augmented vision technology will allow information to be projected on top of a person’s field of vision. Image: Realwear Inc HEADS UP FOR• project precise cutting lines to helpAV could also be used to:boning room butchers SMART VISION• allow remote technical support to help processing plant engineers troubleshoot machinery problems • train new staff t sounds futuristic, but smart The ability to display disease and defect• support producers with on‑farm tasks Icould one day be used in redglasses which project imagesin front of a user’s field of viewcontamination risk by eliminating theneed for meat inspectors to touchfeatures over offal would also reduceProcessor welcomes newand objective vsuch as counting livestock, recordinginformation using voice recognitionisual assessment. meat processing. the product. Consultants from technology partner technology MLA‑funded research projects have Wiley evaluated different AV headsets Paul Gibson, from Australian Country proven the potential of augmented and found this technology has the Choice (ACC), believes AV is an vision (AV) technology; however, ability to enhance human performance important step towards full automation shortcomings in the robustness of AR in inspection. in red meat processing. headsets means industry application could still be a couple of years off. However, current off‑the‑shelf Paul is ACC’s Group Manager for headsets have limitations in terms of Research & Development and Product MLA Value Chain Technology Program ruggedness, reliability, software bugs Development, and believes full Manager Christian Ruberg said AV and convenience. automation is still a way off. involves projecting information – such as a computer screen or operating “These technologies are enjoying “In the interim, we need to look at manual – on top of a person’s field of huge global investment and these augmentation as the beginning of full view via a heads‑up display, using smart shortcomings are expected to be automation, which means matching glasses or headsets. overcome in the near future – possibly ‘man and machine’ to achieve process two to five years as the product improvements,” he said. AV is being investigated in MLA matures,” Christian said. Donor Company projects and an “It doesn’t solve the problem of ALMTech project. “Once the solutions are attracting suitable people to work in processing in regional and remote “AV technologies provide the opportunity developed, the costs of areas. But any machines that might to improve real‑time decision making, adoption aren’t high, with reduce our reliance on labour in these increasing productivity and efficiency, regions are worthwhile considering.” ■ reducing costs and increasing value in headsets priced at only a the supply chain,” Christian said. few hundred dollars.” Christian Ruberg “We wanted to know if X‑ray images T: 02 9463 9142 of offal could be projected over the In a separate project, Scott Technology E: cruberg@mla.com.au actual offal, to help food inspectors demonstrated how AV can be used for more effectively identify livestock automation system troubleshooting, health attributes.” service and technical support. 37