Agricultural egghead Renfu Lu, agricultural engineer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, has, along with a team of engineers, invented a machine that can determine the "sweetness" and "firmness" of apples -- all quickly and without damaging the fruit. The gadget uses a multispectral imaging system to zap apples with four lasers as they roll down a conveyer belt. Computers with artificial neural networks can recognize the absorption and reflection patterns created by the near-infrared rays from which the machine divines apple quality. If the invention is commercialized, it can be used by fruit packers to sort the good from the bad. (I tried the device on a PowerMac G5. The verdict? "Sweet.")
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