Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) have partnered with Design Build and consulting business Wiley to explore how technology can improve meat grading using Augmented Reality (AR).

The pair collaborated on a research and development project to innovated meat grading using computer vision, with the goal of objective measurement and decision support for grading staff. The innovative technology will help cement Australia as the world's leading red meat producer, delivering high quality future supplies to domestic and international markets.

The AR platform, named ARGA (Augmented Reality Grading App) facilitates faster, more consistent and precise meat grading while taking full advantage of the experience and capabilities of the industry's meat graders. The solution is designed to discern the colour of a meat sample; accurately determine the area of the Latissimus Dorsi muscle and introduces hands-free scanning of meat sample tickets. 

The subjective collection and assessment of meat grading attribute in the meat industry have contributed to trust issues between producers and processors. MLA have stated that producers and feedlot operators are concerned about the precision of meat grading in Australia. Meat graders are not to blame. Humans are simply not built to repeatedly make objective judgements day in day out. In an American study of meat grading, it was found that 50% of meat samples were mis-graded in some way.

"We are really excited to be working with MLA in research and innovation projects that will move the red meat industry forward into the digital era. We congratulate MLA on their foresight to investigate and invest in this technology", said Wiley's R&D and Innovation Director, Brett Wiskar.

In 2016, Australia was responsible for the exports of more than a million tonnes of beef and cementing a position as one of the world's leading meat producers. MLA is working hard to keep Australia at the forefront of meat production globally with technological initiatives designed to ensure Australia maintains its position as a global industry leader.

AR allows for decision assistance for meat graders and may lead to improved transparency and consistent outcomes for the meat industry. Decision supports is also likely to bring about greater speed and decreased training periods for meat graders and normalised grading performance. It is reasonable to expect AR to play a substantial role in the meat industry in years to come.

MLA and Wiley are now working together to prepare a Rural R&D for profit submission on an augmented and virtual reality program for all of Australian Agriculture.

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