New software can detect the freshness of fruits and price them accordingly.
Nairobi University has demonstrated a new software which is able to detect the freshness of fruits and price them accordingly. The technology uses remote sensing to achieve this analysis.
The software was developed by MSc Physics student David Muriuki Karibe and presented at the Nairobi International Trade Fair. It works by shining a blue LED at the produce and analysing the resulting reflection, the colour of which has a direct correlation to the ripeness.
The software solves a significant problem for farmers in the country, who, according to the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, lose more than 45% of their harvest due to food over-ripening and rotting. The technology could however also be deployed to supermarkets to let them keep taps on their stock more easily.
The software is at prototype stage, but the university is keen to commercialise the technology. The country is still lacking a strong ecosystem, and the university is having trouble attracting investors to help spin-out the product. If commercialisation succeeds, the university will take a stake of 40% in the company.
David Muriuki Karibe said: “In developed nations, industry funds research projects at universities. Once a new product or software has been developed, industry takes up the product for the commercialisation phase. In Kenya, the role of industry in research is missing, leaving researchers and developers in the dark as they seek financiers for their ideas.”
