Artificial Intelligence for Biology and Agriculture

257 Pages·1998·18.37 MB·English

by  M. Monta, N. Kondo, K. C. Ting (auth.), S. Panigrahi, K. C. Ting (eds.)

Artificial Intelligence for
Biology and Agriculture
Edited by
S. Panigrahi
North Dakota State University, Fargo, USA
and
K.C. Ting
Rutgers, The State University ofN ew Jersey, USA
Reprinted from Artificial Intelligence Review
Volume 12, Nos. 1-3, 1998
SPRINGER SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
A C.I.P. catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-94-010-6120-9 ISBN 978-94-011-5048-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-011-5048-4
Printed on acid-free paper.
All Rights Reserved
@1998Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 1998
Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover 1st edition 1998
No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner.
Table of Contents
About the Authors 1
Preface 9
M. MONTA, N. KONDO and K.C. TING / End-Effectors for
Tomato Harvesting Robot 11
H. NI and S. GUNASEKARAN / A Computer Vision Method for
Determining Length of Cheese Shreds 27
M. SLOOF / Automated Modelling of Physiological Processes
During Postharvest Distribution of Agricultural Products 39
B.T. TIEN and G. VAN STRATEN / A Neuro-Fuzzy Approach to
Identify LettUce Growth and Greenhouse Climate 71
JONATHAN Y. CLARK and KEVIN WARWICK / Artificial Keys
for Botanical Identification using a Multilayer Perceptron
Neural Network (MLP) 95
MICHAEL RECCE, ALESSIO PLEBE, JOHN TAYLOR and
GIUSEPPE TROPIANO / Video Grading of Oranges in Real-
Time 117
ALAIN BOUCHER, ANNE DOISY, XAVIER RONOT and
CATHERINE GARBAY / Cell Migration Analysis after In
Vitro Wounding Injury with a Multi-Agent Approach 137
V.c. PATEL, R.W. McCLENDON AND J.W. GOODRUM I Col-
or Computer Vision and Artificial Neural Networks for the
Detection of Defects in Poultry Eggs 163
XIAOOU TANG, W. KENNETH STEWART, LUC VINCENT,
scarr
HE HUANG, MARTY MARRA, M. GALLAGER
and CABELL S. DAVIS / Automatic Plankton Image
Recognition 177
YOUNG J. HAN, YONG-JIN CHO, WADE E. LAMBERT and
CHARLES K. BRAGG / Identification and Measurement of
Convolutions in Cotton Fiber Using Image Analysis 201
iv TABLE OF CONTENTS
BRIAN CENTER and BRAHM P. VERMA / Fuzzy Logic for
Biological and Agricultural Systems 213
NAOSm KONDO and K.C. TING / Robotics for Plant Production 227
K. DING and S. GUNASEKARAN / Three-Dimensional Image
Reconstruction Procedure for Food Microstructure Evaluation 245
Artijiciallntelligence Review 12: 1-7, 1998. 1
© 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers.
About the Authors
Alain Boucher graduated in computer in Plant Taxonomy and has contributed to
engineering from the Ecole Poly tech the Penguin Dictionary of Botany, and the
nique de Montreal, Canada, in 1994. European Garden Flora. He is a member
He is currently doing his Ph.D. degree of the British Cactus & Succulent Soci
in computer science at the Universite ety, the Mesemb Study Group and the
Joseph Fourier in Grenoble, France. For Systematics Association. His academic
this degree, he received the 1967 Schol research has an emphasis on the use of
arship from the Natural Sciences and computers and neural networks in bio
Engineering Research Council of Canada logy, and in particular, botany. Although
(NSERC). He works at the TIMC-IMAG having a wide range of research inter
laboratory, SIC group. His research ests, his main specialities are taxonomy
interests include computer vision, dis and identification, especially with respect
tributed artificial intelligence and bio to cacti and other succulent plants, par
medical applications. ticularly the genus Lithops (which he has
studied for nearly 25 years). In the field of
Charles K. Bragg, USDA-ARS, Cotton cybernetics, his publications include the
Quality Research Station, Clemson, SC results of research into the application of
29631, USA neural networks for the identification of
faults in high speed machinery.
Brian Center was born in Decatur, Geor
gia in 1972. He graduated in Biological . Anne Doisy graduated in Pharmacy
Engineering from Mississippi State Uni from the Faculte des Sciences Pharma
versity in 1994, and is currently working ceutiques, Paris, in 1995. She is cur
on the M.S. degree in Agricultural Engi rently doing her Ph.D. degree in cellular
neering from the University of Georgia. and molecular biology at the Universite
Since 1994 he has worked as a research Joseph Fourier in Grenoble, France. She
assistant studying fuzzy logic applica works at Dyogen group, INSERM U 309,
tions related to plant growth models and Institut Albert Bonniot in Grenoble. Her
plant tissue culture, and system identi research is currently oriented towards the
fication and intelligent control of bio development of an in vitro model for cell
processes. He plans to attend medical migration analysis and is supported by
school after completing his M.S. degree. the Ligue Nationale contre Ie Cancer.
Yong-Jin Cho, Senior Research Sci Scott M. Gallager is an Associate Sci
entist, Korea Food Research Institute, entist in the Biology Department of the
Songnam-si, Korea. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
As a plankton ecologist, Scott seeks
Jonathan Y. Clark is a Research Fel to understand the spatial and temporal
low in the Department of Cybernetics, scales of coupled biological and phys
Reading University, UK. He has an Msc ical processes which control plankton
2
dynamics and community structure in the Wisconsin in 1988. He received his
oceans. His long-term interest in optics B.E. (Ag.) in agricultural engineering
and video electronics has led him to from Tamil Nadu Agricultural Univer
the co-development of the Video Plank sity, Coimbatore, India and M. Eng. in
ton Recorder along with his colleague food engineering from the Asian Insti
Dr. Cabell S. Davis. With this instru tute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand.
ment, Scott is probing the mechanisms Gunasekaran's research projects focus
responsible for generation and mainte on enhancing quality of food materials
nance of plankton swarms and the inter via accurate and objective characteri
action between plankton behavior and zation of engineering properties. He is
turbulence. The goal is to use mechanistic currently investigating rheology of dairy
models of physics and plankton behavior foods and mixed biopolymer gel systems.
to assimilate data from the VPR in real He is an active member of many profes
time and predict plankton dynamics and sional societies including ASAE (Amer
community structure. ican Society of Agricultural Engineers)
and 1FT (Institute of Food Technolo
Catherine Garbay graduated from Insti gists). He has been recognized for his
tut National Poly technique de Grenoble research efforts with several national and
(lNPG) as a Computer Science Engineer international awards including the ASAE
(1977) and received her Ph.D. degree Outstanding Young Researcher Award in
from INPG in 1979. She became "Doc 1996 and ASAE Superior Paper Award in
teur es Sciences" from the Universite 1987 and 1995. He is the editor of Food
Joseph Fourier and from the INPG, and Process Engineering Institute for the
Grenoble in 1986. She is now employed Transactions of the ASAE and the Food
by the CNRS as Research Associate Engineering Division of the 1FT.
and working at TIMC-IMAG laboratory,
Grenoble. She was responsible for the Young J. Han, Professor, Department
creation, in 1988, of the SIC (Integrated of Agricultural and Biological Engineer
Cognitive Systems) group, which is fos ing, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
tering research in the field of computer 29634-0357, USA
vision, distributed artificial intelligence
and cognitive sciences, with application He Huang received the B.S. degree
to biomedicine. in 1990 from the University of Sci
ence and Technology of China, Hefei,
John W. Goodrum is a Professor in the China, then received the M.S. degree in
Department of Biological and Agricul Mechanical Engineering, the M.S. degree
tural Engineering at the University of in Ocean Engineering in 1994, and the
Georgia. His research interests include Ocean Engineer degree in 1995, from
applications of computer vision for the the Massachusetts Institute of Techno
inspection and analysis of highly variable logy. She is currently a design engineer at
natural products. the Quantum Corporation. Her research
interests include nonlinear dynamics sys
Sundaram Gunasekaran is a profes tem control, neural network control, and
sor of food and bioprocess engineering voice coil motor design in hard disk
at the University of Wisconsin at Madi drives.
son. He received his Ph.D. from Uni
versity of Illinois in 1985 and worked Naoshi Kondo was born in Ehime Pre
as an assistant professor at the Uni fecture, Japan in 1960. He received the
versity of Delaware before moving to BS, MS and PhD degrees in Agricul-
ABOUT THE AUTIIORS 3
tural Engineering from Kyoto Univer puter vision systems for remote sensing
sity, Japan in 1982, 1984 and 1988, and mapping applications.
respectively. From 1985 to 1990, he
was with the Department of Agricul Ronald W. McClendon is a Faculty Fel
tural Engineering of Okayama Univer low of the Artificial Intelligence Center
sity as an Assistant Professor. From and Professor in the Department of Bio
1991 to 1992, he was with the gradu logical and Agricultural Engineering at
ate school of Natural Science and Tech the University of Georgia. His research
nology of Okayama University as an interests involve the application of AI
Assistant Professor. Since April 1993, and operations research techniques to
he has been an Associate Professor of the development of decision support sys
Okayama University. His research inter tems.
ests are in the area of robotics for bio
production, machine vision and phy Mitsuji Monta was born in Osaka Pre
totechnology. Dr. Kondo is a member fecture, Japan in 1961. He received the
of the Japanese Society of Agricultural BE and ME degrees in Agricultural Engi
Machinery, the American Society of neering from Okayama University, Japan
Agricultural Engineering, the Japanese in 1986, 1988, respectively. From 1988
Society of Environmental Control in to 1991, he was with the Kubota Cor
Biology, the Society of Instrument and poration in Osaka, Japan. Since June
Control Engineers of Japan, the Robotics 1991, he has been an Assistant Professor
Society of Japan and so on. of Department of Agricultural Engineer
ing of Okayama University. His research
Wade E. Lambert, Graduate Research interests are multi-purpose robots for
Assistant, Department of Agricultural bio-production, safety robot systems and
and Biological Engineering, Clemson phytotechnology. He is a member of
University, Clemson, SC 29634-0357, the Japanese Society of Agricultural
USA Machinery, the American Society of
Agricultural Engineering, the Japanese
Marty Marra received the B.S. degree Society of Environmental Control in
from Carnegie-Mellon University in Biology, the Robotics Society of Japan
Applied Math; Engineering Systems and and so on.
Computer Science in 1985. He worked
for Martin Marietta from 1985 to 1989 Hongxu Ni is a Ph.D. candidate in the
where he helped develop road follow Biological Systems Engineering Depart
ing and terrain classification algorithms ment at the University of Wisconsin
for DARPA's Autonomous Land Vehicle Madison. Mr. Ni earned his MS degree
Program. In 1990 he joined the Deep in Computer Sciences from University of
Submergence Laboratory at the Woods Wisconsin-Madison in 1995 and M. Eng.
Hole Oceanographic Institution where in Computer Engineering from South
he developed systems for underwater west Jiaotong University in China in
photomosaicking, sonar mapping, and 1992. Since 1992, Hongxu has been
video plankton detection. Since 1995 he's conducting research and development in
worked for Vexce1 Corporation where computer vision, visual simulation, and
he's managed projects applying synthetic real-time system programming. He is
aperture radar data to stereo topographic currently working as a Software Engineer
mapping and terrain classification. His at Teradyne Inc., Los Angeles, CA.
research interests involve the develop
ment of imaging, visualization, and com-
4
Suranjao Panigrahi (guest editor), is Projects for AID and CRAM in the fields
an Assistant Professor of Agricultural of image processing, robotics and neural
and Biosystems Engineering Depart networks. His current area of research
ment, North Dakota State University, also includes educational technologies.
Fargo, ND. He obtained his Ph.D. in He is member of the Scientific Board of
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineer EUROLOGO, and he is temporary pro
ing with a Ph.D. minor in Electrical fessor of Computer Science at the Edu
& Computer Engineering from Iowa cational Science Faculty, University of
State University. His research and teach Palermo, Italy.
ing interests are in the areas of artifi
cial intelligent technologies (computer Michael Reece received a BSc in Physics
vision, pattern recognition, neural net from the University of California at Santa
works, fuzzy logic) for agricultural/food Cruz. He joined Intel Corporation in 1982
production & processing applications, where he participated in the develop
non-visible imaging/spectrometry, non ment of magnetic bubble memory prod
destructive and intelligent sensor/sensing ucts, and later led the product engineering
techniques for high quality and safe food group for bubble memories. He obtained
production and processing. He is a hon a PhD in neurophysiology at Univer
orary member of Alpha Epsilon and sity College London (UCL), and in 1991
Gamma Sigma Delta. became a joint lecturer in the Anatomy
and Computer Science Departments at
Vireo C. Patel is a post doctoral fellow at UCL. At UCL he led research projects in
the University of Texas - Houston Med neurophysiology, computational neuro
ical School and was formerly a graduate science and robotics. In 1997 his research
research assistant in the Department of group moved to the New Jersey Insti
Biological and Agricultural Engineering tute of Technology, where he is an Asso
at the University of Georgia. His research ciate Professor in the Computer Science
interests involve the application of engi and Information Science and the Applied
neering and artificial intelligence tech Mathematics Departments. He is also a
niques to the solution of problems in member of the Behavioral Neuroscience
biological systems. Program at Rutgers University.
Alessio Plebe received a diploma in Xavier Rooot received his Doctorat es
Electronic Engineering in 1981 at the Science in Biology from Universite Paris
University of Rome. He worked at VII in 1987. He is currently Assistant
AID (Agriculture Industrial Develop Professeur at the Ecole Pratique des
ment) SpA, Catania, Italy from 1982 to Hautes Etudes and is working at group
1989 as researcher in Applied Meteo Dyogen, INSERM U 309, Institut Albert
rology, where he developed models for Bonniot, at the Universite Joseph Fourier
short-time forecasting and a system for in Grenoble. His main research inter
local-scale artificial weather modifica ests concern the designing of in vitro
tions. From 1990 to 1996 he led the models to study the structure-function
Robotics and Automation Department at relationships in living cells, especially
C.R.A.M. (Consorzio per la Ricerca in oriented towards cell proliferation, chro
Agricoltura nel Mezzogiorno), Catania, matin organization and migration using
Italy. During this period he studied appli vital fluorescent probes.
cations of robotics and visual inspec
tion in the field of agriculture and food Mark Sioof received his MS in com
processing. He lead several European puter science from the University of
5
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Leiden in 1991. In that year he joined Gerrit van Straten (1946) previously
the Artificial Intelligence Group at the held positions in environmental engineer
Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam to work ing at Twente University, the Nether
on a research project initiated by and lands, and the International Institute for
carried out at the Agricultural Research Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), in
Institute (ATO-DLO) in Wageningen. Laxenburg, Austria. He received a Ph.D.
His research interests are the applica degree at Twente University on 'Identifi
tion of qualitative reasoning techniques cation, uncertainty assessment and pre
to support the development of quantita diction in lake eutrophication'. Since
tive models. He is currently employed 1990 he holds a chair in Systems and
as knowledge engineer with Everest Control at Wageningen Agricultural Uni
in 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, versity. His group's task is to advocate
which specializes in applying techniques the use of systems modelling and con
for software reuse to the development of trol in a broad spectrum of applications
practical AI systems. in agriculture, good processing and envi
ronmental technology. Current research
W. Kenneth Stewart received the interests are modelling, identification and
A.A.S. in Marine technology from Cape uncertainty, optimal control and predic
Fear Technical Institute in 1972, the tive control, and neural and fuzzy con
B.S. in Ocean Engineering from Florida trollers, with applications to horticulture
Atlantic University in 1982, and the (greenhouse control), sewage treatment,
Ph.D. in Oceanographic Engineering water systems, food processing and bio
from the Massachusetts Institute of Tech engineering.
nology and Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institute Joint Program in 1988. Stewart Xiaoou Tang received the B.S. degree in
has been going to sea on oceano 1990 from the University of Science and
graphic research vessels for more than Technology of China, Hefei, China, and
20 years, has developed acoustic sensors the M.S. degree in 1991 from the Univer
and remotely operated vehicles for 6000- sity of Rochester, Rochester, New York.
m depths, and has made several deep He received the Ph.D. degree in 1996
dives in manned submersibles, includ from the Massachusetts Institute of Tech
ing a 4OO0-m excursion to the Titanic in nology in the MIT/Woods Hole Oceano
1986. Since 1988 he has been a mem graphic Institution Joint Program. He
ber of the scientific staff at the Woods is currently a postdoctoral investigator
Hole Oceanographic Institution and is at the Deep Submergence Laboratory
now an Associate Scientist at the Deep of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institu
Submergence Laboratory. His research tion. His research interests include image
interests include underwater robotics, processing, pattern recognition, under
autonomous vehicles and smart ROV s, water robotics, and sonar systems.
multisensor modeling, real-time acoustic
and optical imaging, and precision under John C. Taylor obtained a B.A. (hons)
water surveying. He is a member of degree in Physics from Fitzwilliam Col
the Acoustic Society of America, IEEE lege at Cambridge University and a M.Sc.
Computer Society, Marine Technology degree in Systems Engineering from the
Society, National Computer Graphics City University in London. For the past
Association, Oceanography Society, and twenty years he has worked in research
Sigma Xi. and development in the areas of soft
ware engineering and pattern recogni
tion algorithms. He is currently employed
6
by Searchspace Limited in London as engineering, and advanced life support
a senior software engineer, where he is systems for long term human exploration
developing reporting and analysis sys of space.
tems for the London Stock Exchange.
From 1988 to 1997 he was a senior Giuseppe Tropiano received a diploma
research fellow at University College in Computer Science from the Univer
London. At UCL he designed and devel sity of Pisa in 1993. From 1995 to 1996
oped software tools for real-time neural he worked at AID (Agriculture Indus
network based pattern recognition. trial Development) Catania, Italy, doing
research in image processing and neural
Biing-Tsair Tien received the BS degree networks applied to fresh fruit inspec
in Agricultural Machinery Engineering, tion. He is currently employed by the
National Taiwan University, Taipei, Tai National Pole of Bioelectronics (Elba,
wan, Republic of China, in 1987, the MSc Italy), where he is applying neural net
degree from the Institute of Agricultural work algorithms to visual inspection
Engineering, National Taiwan University tasks.
in 1989 and the PhD degree in the Depart
ment of Agricultural, Environmental and Brahm Verma is Professor of Biological
Systems Technology, Wageningen Agri and Agricultural Engineering and Fac
cultural University, The Netherlands, in ulty Fellow in the Artificial Intelligence
1997. Based on his MSc researches he Center at the University of Georgia. He
won the Best Paper Award from the received his B.Sc. from the University
Society of Chinese Agricultural Engi of Allahabad in India, M.S. from the
neering in 1990. During 1991-1993, he University of Kentucky and Ph.D. from
had been with the National Taiwan Uni Auburn University. He has conducted
versity as an instructor in the depart research in similitude, tillage machin
ment of Agricultural Machinery Engi ery, nursery and greenhouse mechaniza
neering. Presently, he works with the tion, postharvest systems and simulation
Tokyo Electron Taiwan Limited Co., as and modeling. He is currently leading a
a MCVD (Metal Chemical Vapor Depo research center for developing decision
sition) process engineer. His research support system tools to evaluate eco
interests include Neural-Fuzzy modeling nomic development opportunities that
and the application of Mechatronics tech are environmentally sustainable. He also
nology to agricultural automation issues. serves as the Graduate Coordinator of the
department.
K. C. Ting, is a Professor and Chair
man of Bioresource Engineering Depart Luc Vincent is Director of Software
ment, Rutgers - The State University Development at Xerox' Software Solu
of New Jersey, received his Ph.D. in tions Division in Palo Alto, CA, where
agricultural engineering from the Uni he heads the Image Processing Core
versity of Illinois. He is currently the Technology group. He received the Engi
Editor of ASAElInformation and Elec neering Degree from Ecole Polyt ech
trical Technologies Division. He is a nique, France, in 1986, and the Doctorate
licensed professional engineer in New in Mathematical Morphology from the
Jersey. His research and teaching inter Ecole des Mines de Paris in 1990. Dr.
ests are in the areas of flexible automation Vincent then worked at Harvard Uni
and robotics for bio-processing and bio versity as a Postdoctoral Fellow, and
production, systems analysis and deci joined Xerox in 1991, where he has
sion support engineering, phytomation worked on various aspects of OCR and