QC students develop prototype device that determines durian ripeness

A group of computer engineering students at the Technological Institute of the Philippines in Quezon City has developed a prototype device that helps determine the ripeness of durian. 

According to Martin Javier's Game Changer reported on "24 Oras" Friday, the device, called DuriVision, uses a camera and artificial intelligence when it comes to visually inspecting the fruit. 

"DuriVision is a vision based ripeness detection system, so meaning it can only detect the visual feature of durian. Without using the camera, kinakatok, inaamoy, so 'yun 'yung traditional way na gusto namin ng solusyon, which is very subjective po," said Meyrazol Reponte, one of the developers of the DuriVision. 

Meyrazol and her friends, Allen, Ryan, and Ray, programmed DuriVision's system to recognize unripe, ripe, and overripe durian by using various images of durian. 

To determine if the durian is ready to eat, one can point the device's camera on the fruit, and it would show the results within a few seconds. 

DuriVision has about 97% to 98% accuracy in detecting durian ripeness. Per Javier's report, the students want to help durian farmers enhance their safety, especially since the farmers often climb trees to harvest the fruit. 

—CDC, GMA Integrated News