Emerging Sensing

Non-invasive methods to measure the condition of plants is one of the highly-anticipated outcomes of Emerging Sensing. These techniques will provide equipment builders, technology providers and the fruit and vegetable sector with new tools to increase yields, improve quality and reduce waste.

Suppose we could see right ‘through’ a plant: discerning the presence of diseases, the ripeness of fruit and many other properties that are currently hidden to the naked eye. This would enable farmers to optimize the health of their plants, making much better decisions about when to harvest and when to transport produce to market. It would also facilitate the development of advanced picking robots, reducing the need for the increasingly scarce, specialized personnel in this sector.

Innovative spectral imaging

In Emerging Sensing, OnePlanet Research Center is working on innovative acoustic and spectral imaging techniques that make visible what is hidden under the skin of the plant and its fruits; techniques that allow one to see ‘through’ fruits and ‘sense’ from a distance. While existing hyperspectral cameras can already detect invisible bruises under the skin of apples and pears, complementary sensing modalities are being investigated for the non-destructive and robust detection of moisture content, fruit ripeness and firmness. OnePlanet is also working on early pest detection tools, combining spectral imaging with systems that register the presence of insect DNA and pheromones in a data fusion approach.

In this program, OnePlanet combines its expertise on high-tech sensors and wearables with a deep understanding of data-sciences, machine-learning, crop cultivation and post-harvest quality, to answer challenging questions. What are, for example, the possibilities and limitations of existing imaging techniques, in the context of which types of fruits and vegetables? Are specific spectra more suited to food quality assessment?

Towards a demo system

In 2020 three research projects kicked off: the public-private partnership, Future Sensors, which focuses on sensors for tomatoes and their plants; the European program Haly-ID, dedicated to apples and pears; and the Public-Private Partnership ‘Weet wat er leeft’ (Know what’s going on) which focuses on automatic identification and quantification of insects in greenhouses. A measuring-system proof-of-concept will be ready by the end of 2021. Once validated, it will be extended with applications that integrate sensor data, and predict the quality and shelf life of fresh produce. A demo system is expected by 2024.

Less greenhouse gas emissions and improvement of animal welfare. That is what OnePlanet Research Center is researching in this process, in specially established “AgriFood Validation Labs”.

OnePlanet develops new digital concepts for sustainable livestock farming together with network partners and educational institutions. With special attention to animal-friendly and sustainable production of animal proteins and products.

OnePlanet Research Center is working on quantifying the impact of agricultural activity on the environment and nature, by means of fine-meshed sensor networks.

Whether it concerns nitrogen in the air or nitrate in the surface water, all attention is focused on the correct values. But how do you measure them? OnePlanet Research Center develops new technologies that enable accurate and long-lasting on-site measurements, suitable for different end users.

OnePlanet develops fine-mesh sensor networks to measure air quality. Including digital environment for data access. This technology provides insight into local emissions.

In order to be able to measure substances such as nitrate in surface water, OnePlanet is developing a handheld nitrate sensor with partners. This sensor enables farmers to carry out nitrate measurements themselves. For example, they can detect nitrate leaks into surface water.

Better quality of food products and less waste in the chain, that is what OnePlanet Research Center strives for with this innovation process. A ‘digital twin’ of food processing processes makes it possible.

Using new sensor and digital technologies, OnePlanet gains real-time insights into food processing processes and the supply chain. This can lead to higher quality food and a more sustainable food production.

A “digital twin”, a virtual copy of certain products or processes, can be especially interesting for vulnerable products. It provides valuable insights into the logistics process, on a continuous basis, making it easier to make adjustments. In this way, more food products of better quality reach the end user, while using fewer resources. So less waste and healthier food!

A smart pill that non-invasively monitors inflammation, microbiota activity, nutrient uptake and other gut health biomarkers is the planned outcome of Ingestibles for Gut Health. This will provide food and pharma companies and technology providers with new opportunities for targeted improvement of gut health and overall wellbeing.

What if consumers could measure nutrient uptake and other biomarkers for gut health – and get personalized advice on diet, lifestyle and medicine use – just by ingesting a small pill? It would save consumers, patients and medical staff tedious and time-consuming medical examinations, and help scientists and doctors understand precisely what is happening in the gut. Which nutrients are absorbed and where? Which metabolites are produced by the microbiota? And precisely where in the intestines are individuals with Crohn’s Disease affected, or those with ulcerative colitis or Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Better understanding

Though very common, gut diseases are currently not well understood. Improving our understanding would provide food and pharma companies, and doctors, opportunities to detect health issues at an early stage and develop more-targeted interventions. This would improve people’s quality of life and – as gut health is related to immune function, glucose metabolism and other key processes in the body – overall wellbeing.

Completely new technology

In Ingestibles for Gut Health, OnePlanet Research Center aims to develop completely new technology that will incorporate miniaturized sensors in a pill, connect them to a digital platform with advanced chips that can read these data, and transmit it to a data platform that can interpret the recorded parameters.

Experts from imec, specializing in high-tech sensors, micro-electronics, and wearables, are collaborating closely with nutritionists, chemists, physicians and gastroenterologists from Wageningen University & Research, Radboud University and Radboudumc to overcome the technological and practical challenges anticipated with such a disruptive innovation. The pill should, for example, be easily swallowable and resistant to digestive enzymes. It should also be easy to track, and require a minuscule amount of power.

Fundamental to the OnePlanet vision is that what is developed makes a clear and measurable difference in real life. That’s why food, pharma and technology developers are invited to join the innovation process.

Towards personalized advice

The first generation of ingestibles is validated in a clinical trial beginning of 2024. Fifteen healthy volunteers were included in this 100% controlled dietary intervention studying protein fermentation. We successfully utilized 69 ingestibles and collected over 4000 hours of data. The functionality of the first generation of smart pills will be extended over the coming years. We will in parallel develop an ingestible able to take a gut fluid sample for more extensive offline analysis, e.g. for microbiome analysis or biomarker exploration. By 2027, a highly advanced sensing platform will be available, including digital gut models, and a dashboard, to monitor gut health.

A data-driven digital platform that can predict optimal diet and lifestyle interventions for an individual. This will be the exciting outcome of Human Digital Twin. The technology will serve as a research platform to integrate and analyze objective health data, facilitating early detection of diseases and powering the development of personalized products and services.

What if… every consumer had their own ‘virtual twin’ that gives them insight into their health status, and provides personalized advice on diet, lifestyle and medicines?

Accompanied by cutting-edge devices, like ingestible sensors and apps, it would empower consumers to make moment-by-moment changes in diet and lifestyle. Which food products should they eat to improve their gut health? How does this link to their mental wellbeing?

Personalized intervention

Personalized interventions have proven to be more effective at improving health than one-size-fits all approaches. In our ageing society, where the number of people with chronic diseases is on the rise, they can make a great difference to quality of life and health care costs.

AI-guided, digital platform

In Human Digital Twin, OnePlanet Research Center is developing an AI-guided, digital platform for continuous collection, integration and analysis of health and nutrition data, in specific contexts, collected via sensors. Imagine, for example, an ingestible sensor providing data on microbiome and gut health. The platform gives insight into an individual’s risk of developing lifestyle related diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and burnout. The self-learning system also predicts which diet and lifestyle interventions will work best for each individual, and in which situation.

In this innovation program, experts from imec, specializing in high-tech sensors and wearables, are collaborating with nutritionists, behavioral experts and doctors from Wageningen University & Research, Radboud University and Radboudumc, to solve the complex issues that come along with such a disruptive innovation. How, for example, to ensure safe storage and ethical use of huge amounts of data? And what software and insights are needed to build in functionality that automatically optimizes motivational feedback to the individual?

Towards personalized advice

The digital data platform is being constructed using health data collected in OnePlanet’s innovation programs Ingestibles for Gut Health, Smart Bathroom for Health and Studies in Nutrition & Mental Wellbeing. Their experts have also initiated, in collaboration with industry, a study that will collect and integrate contextual data on stress and physiological functions such as heart rate and skin conductance. This will allow prediction of individuals’ stress levels and give personalized advice on stress reduction.