熟練の技をAIが学習！ジャガイモの不良苗や死んだカニを自動で検知する最新技術、人手不足に悩む北海道の1次産業現場で進む大改革の舞台裏

In Hokkaido's primary industries, which are facing a serious labor shortage, the introduction of "AI" that has learned from the experience and skills of veterans is progressing. We report on the cutting edge of this latest technology, which aims to reduce the burden on production sites and improve quality, including potato disease detection, crab survival determination, and automatic water temperature forecasting. Furthermore, we explore the developments in special zones that are considering the public road use of robotic tractors. Primary industries that have no choice but to rely on the experience and skills of veterans A potato field covered in white flowers. Then, an unfamiliar machine appears... "There are plants with diseases or abnormal growth that the AI ​​has learned from." Hokkaido's primary industries are suffering from labor shortages due to the declining birthrate and aging population. The key to solving this is "AI." "We are developing a system that uses AI to detect whether crabs are alive or dead." We'll dig a little deeper into the AI ​​that is changing Hokkaido's primary industries! Seed potato abnormality detection: Aiming for practical application Analysis Center, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Abira Town. We produce potato seed potatoes for supply to agricultural cooperatives nationwide. A crucial task at this time of year is removing diseased or poorly growing seedlings. Anna Nishiguchi, Iburi Farm, NARO Seed Management Center "These two plants have abnormal leaf shapes compared to normal plants. They will be removed." "From June to August, this removal work is our main job." "On busy days, we walk more than 10km. I feel it's quite physically demanding." To alleviate this burden, NARO has been developing this machine for about five years. Six cameras are installed inside the white sunshade cover. This is a new system that uses AI to detect diseases in potato seedlings. Kayoko Kobayashi, Section Chief, Collaboration Promotion Division, NARO Seed Management Center "It takes pictures from directly above. If there is anything that appears abnormal, the system detects it and notifies a person." Let's see how it's actually used... "Beep" (Detection sound) A warning sound rings out. Stopping, they check the seedlings at their feet. Then… "Kayoko Kobayashi, Section Chief, Collaboration Promotion Division, Seed and Seedling Management Center, NARO (National Agriculture and Food Research Organization)" "Compared to other plants, the unevenness of the leaf surface is abnormal. The leaf color is normally a solid dark color, but it's abnormally mottled with light yellow. The AI ​​detected this abnormal plant." The AI, which had learned from a vast amount of potato leaf image data, determined it to be abnormal. Compared to manual work, the work efficiency is said to increase sixfold. NARO aims for practical application in three years. Water temperature management in 1°C increments: AI learns from on-site experience Also at a seafood processing company in Shiranuka Town, Eastern Hokkaido. Takumi Yamauchi, IT company that developed the system: "We are developing a system that uses AI to detect whether crabs are alive or dead. The AI ​​analyzes the captured video footage to detect where the crabs are actually located." If a crab dies in a tank and is left unattended, the water quality deteriorates, negatively impacting other crabs. Takumi Yamauchi, IT company that developed the system: "Our goal is to eliminate oversights and detection delays, allowing us to find dead crabs earlier and improve overall quality." This seafood processing company became a subsidiary of an IT systems company in Sapporo in March of this year, and they are working to utilize that expertise in the fisheries industry. They are also incorporating the latest technology into the management of their main product, whelks. Takumi Yamauchi, IT company that developed the system: "This is a water thermometer. It communicates with a communication module in the factory, and the data is sent to the cloud via the communication module." He says that temperature control in the tanks is extremely important to maintain freshness. Takumi Yamauchi, IT company that developed the system: "Even a 1-2°C increase in water temperature has a significant impact on shellfish. We are developing a system that uses this data to train AI, predict future data, detect early signs of rising water temperature, and implement preventative measures to lower it." AI as the producer's eye: Tokachi AI Agricultural Special Zone designation Keiichi Hori, newscaster: "There are all sorts of AIs out there these days, but it's amazing how far we've come." Mai Izumi, TBS announcer: "Not only AI, but also seedlings. I'm really impressed by the farmers' know-how to instantly distinguish potato seedlings. Potatoes from Hokkaido are truly delicious. Even just putting salted squid on top of fluffy potatoes is one of m...