Fruits are good for our body because it contains many vitamins. However, there are many people are deceived by the look of the fruit itself. Many people find the fruit sour, or the texture of the fruit is squashy, though, the outside look of the fruit is good.
The same cases are often found in fruits that are exported overseas. Some countries, such as Japan and China still reject imported fruit from Indonesia, it is considered not hygienic and contaminated by fly that it is probably proliferate in their country and damage their fruit commodity, whereas, export number of fruit commodity from Indonesia is high. So far, Indonesia only holds on Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with some countries for fruit export commodity.
Export number is high, but it is probably rejected for the unguaranteed fruit condition. For this reason, it is considered important to make research that can create a tool to picture inside part of fruit (fruit scanning system). It should be able to see the inside part of the fruit without destructing the outer part (non-destructive test). Some research has been conducted to see the inside part of the fruit, such as: ultrasonic technology, acoustic wave, high- frequency electromagnetic waves, and impedance spectrometry technology that is cheap and simple. However, the recent research still only produce data of the surface in the form of graphic to picture acidity level and ripeness of the fruit. It does not yet picture the 3D form of the fruit.
Fully inspired by Dr. Warsito Taruno’s research, who successfully found brain and breast cancer healing tools by using Electrical Capacitance Volume Tomography (ECVT) technology, a research to see the image of inside part of the fruit is done by using ECVT. The imaging of inside part of fruit using ECVT has never been done before.
This technology is considered cheap, because it uses low voltage energy. It only needs about 5-12 volt, it is far difference if it is compared to other tomography technology, such as MRI or CT-scan. Besides, ECVT can produce fair 3D image when it pictures the inside part of the object.
ECVT and Cancer Cure ECVT
Technology is a method to decide distribution of permivitas involumetric way from object located in the interior that is equipped with censor by using capacitance measurement principle. ECVT employs the non linear difference from electricity area to get permivitas in an area of measurement. Every changes of electricity potential in a pair of censor electrode that covers specific area will result capacitance data. By certain image reconstruction, capacitance data is reconstructed, so it results 3D image that picture object permivity.
This technology is found by Dr. Warsito Taruno who has completed his undergraduate to doctoral study in Japan. Coming back to Indonesia, he found Centre of Tomography Research Laboratory (CTECH Labs) Edwar Technology, the centre of research and the first 4D tomography system production in the world.
For his finding, he was wanted by some well-known oil corporations from the USA. It is because his scanning technology is able to defeat the ability of CT-Scan and MRI. He worked with some world-level research institutions, such as; Ohio State University, Nanyang University of Singapura, National Natural Science Laboratory of Japan (RIKEN), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and NASA.
CTECH Labs in Indonesia itself develops a tool to detect and used as a therapy tool for breast cancer and brain cancer by using ECVT. Tools that are used based on ECVT principle is used to check cancer or tumor of the breast or brain cancer. For breast cancer, the tool consists of censor in the shape of breast, and it has twenty four electrodes. The censor design and number of electrode used will influence image sharpness that is produced. The exterior of the censor is analogue signal that can be received by Data Acquisition System (DAS) and continued to computer and processed to create 3D image. Tool to detect breast and brain cancer is principally the same, but the shape is like a helmet.
Successful Image of Fruit
For a research of this fruit image, researchers are incorporation with CTECH Labs Edwar Technology in providing facilities and expert help in ECVT. The former objective of this research is to find out the success of inner image of fruit and produce prototype of fruit scanning system. The first attempt, fruits that are used as objects are orange and mango, since these two commodities are highly exported from Indonesia.
Based on result of electricity characteristic measurement in the form of capacitance data on orange and mango, the fruits are in different condition. Generally, capacitance value decreases when frequency is increased. The measurement uses Meter RCL in the frequency of 100 Hz – 100 KHz, shows that the difference between some conditions of fruits is quite small.
While during the measurement using the signal of generator andosiloskop with frequency of 1 MHz and the frequency range is 1 – 5 MHz, capacity difference between fruit condition is clearly seen. From this case, it can be summarized that capacitance difference is shown clearly in high frequency, so DAS ECVT is needed to be designed in high frequency.
In the application of ECVT multi channel using censor tube that consists of 32 electrodes, the picture produced shows that there is only the outer part of the fruit, so it is difficult to differentiate the condition of each fruit. It is because the hollow space between tube and the fruit is too large. Further research, it is important to make a censor that is able to wrap the fruit from the inside, so the inside part of the fruit can be seen clearly. Algorithm used for picture reconstruction in this research is Linear Back Projection (LBP).
The prototype of this fruit scanner can only picture the fruit one by one. So, this tool still can not be used for export need because it would not be effective. For that reason, it is important to make further research to produce tool design that can be used to image large number of fruits at the same time. Moreover, for export need, fruit commodity shipped must be packed in big packages. So, it is important to design a tool for fruit scanning system that is able to make scan the fruits thoroughly. In some experiments, image result is very much influenced by the persistence of size and distance. Fruits that are pictured should be fully covered. If the design of the tool can not cover the fruit, the result will be failed. Even if it is good quality fruit, if it is not pictured comprehensively, the result will be different.
This research has been published in Soft Computing and Data Mining (SCDM) Journal, Universiti Tun Husein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) that is ISI from Springer indexed, and also is presented in The 2nd International Conference on Soft Computing and Data Mining August 18 – 20, 2016.
Cited from a research: Penerapan Teknologi ECVT (Electrical Capacitance Volume Tomography) untuk Menampilkan Citra Isi Buah dalam Rangka Pemeriksaan Buah Guna Kepentingan Ekspor”
by Rd. Rohmat Saedudin, S.T., M.T. ; Riza Agustiansyah, S.T., M.Kom. ; Mardiyanto Wiyogo, S.T. ; Agus Setiawan, S.T.
