Dr Sivam Krish on site at Pine Plains at Kangaroo Flat north of Adelaide. Photo: GoMicro

A FREE web app launched by GoMicro is enabling Australian growers to identify defects in wheat, lentils, soy, corn, and chickpeas ahead of delivery by mobile phone image.

The app was developed by GoMicro, primarily at its base in the Tonsley Innovation District in Adelaide, and can assess over 1000 lentils in less than one minute.

When used with the assessor device which provides more even lighting conditions and is available for purchase, GoMicro claims the web app at around 95-98 percent accuracy can match human quality-control on lentil assessment.

Its ability to assess defects on farm is expected to reduce downgrade risks farmers face when their loads arrive at receival sites.

The app can also assess weed seeds during harvest, and the information will enable farmers to apply herbicides more judiciously, saving significant input costs.

GoMicro has partnered with Walco Seed Cleaning at Halbury in SA’s Mid North and AICraft to develop an edge-powered, or AI on chip, general-purpose on-machine assessment device now being tested.

This innovation will enable farmers to QC their harvest as it happens, and when attached to augers, it will also enable them to QC entire truckloads.

GoMicro’s web-based app can provide useful insights into grain quality in around one minute from a single image. Source: GoMicro

Change coming to grain assessment

The advent of AI-driven grain assessment marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of agricultural practices.

With five Australian companies spearheading AI technologies for grain assessment, the days of manual QC are numbered, and it is anticipated all of Australia’s export crops will soon be assessed using AI.

Current quality assessment standards are determined by Grain Trade Australia, which has recently committed to setting “road rules” for AI assessment.

GoMicro is currently focusing on counting defects and plans to deploy weight-based paid apps that will comply with GTA standards once these rules for AI assessment are established.

GoMicro CEO Sivam Krish envisions a future where AI surpasses human accuracy and continually improves through millions of grain assessments, ensuring unparalleled precision and reliability.

GoMicro’s AI app has been used by Toowoomba business PB Agrifood for over a year to assess soy quality, and companies in Indonesia are also using it to assess corn and coffee quality.

However, much of GoMicro’s testing and development has occurred in South Australia.

“The analysis was fast and looks pretty accurate,” Eyre Peninsula grower Emma Leonard said after testing GoMicro.

“I am very impressed with the accuracy of this AI app.”

Roseworthy grower Jason McDonald has also tested GoMicro on lentil samples.

“It’s a great tool for farmers, and I can see a real benefit in the use of it,” Mr McDonald said.

Farmers2Founders general manager Ben Baghurst has been a business mentor for GoMicro.

“We firmly believe that GoMicro will have a positive, transformative impact on the grains value chain,” Mr Baghurst said.

Dr Krish said Australian grain growers were poised to reap the greatest rewards from GoMicro because they are tech savvy, and many of them are already gaining value by blending grades to meet quality parameters.

Source: GoMicro