:::

【2019 Application Example】 Smart agriculture and fisheries digital twin: A highly efficient and sustainable agriculture and fisheries upgrade solution. How did the AI technology called "digital twin" triple the output of aquaculture?

Relying on nine types of sensors to detect water quality, while monitoring the growth of the farmed species and fishermen's behavioral decisions, the artificial intelligence (AI) solution "Smart Agriculture and Fisheries Digital Twin" can significantly increase production by 300%. The “Happy Harvest” - style high-tech integrated solution allows novices to get started quickly. It significantly reduces the reliance of agriculture and fisheries on experience, and makes it more appealing for young people to return to their hometowns to work in agriculture and fisheries.

There was a time when Facebook games were just starting to become popular, and everyone could be called a farmer due to the popular game “Happy Harvest.” Office workers took out their mobile phones one by one during their lunch breaks and started living the life of a happy farmer life on their mobile phones. Some people were naughty, secretly went on Facebook during work hours to steal the harvest from their colleagues. The game was so therapeutic that some people actually went into the fields to become farmers during the holidays. If I said that "Happy Harvest" really exists, would you believe me? THE "Digital Twin" -"Smart Greenhouse" and "Smart Farm" solutions developed by the Innovative DigiTech-Enabled Applications & Service Institute (IDEAS). Institute for Information Technology (III) are "Happy Harvest" and "Happy Fish: Dream Aquarium" in real life.

Here, nine sensors based on IoT will continuously monitor the "facility factors" of the crop/aquaculture growth environment, such as water quality, and upload them to the cloud through the control box. The AI robot in the cloud will continue to simulate a digital twin in the system, receiving "facility factors" such as water temperature and dissolved oxygen, and continuously collecting "growth factors" for the growth status of crops/farmed species. A simulated "digital twin" of the fisherman is created in the cloud system, and the AI robot will also calculate appropriate "behavioral decisions" based on the successful strategies of past fishermen.

When the oxygen content is low and the water temperature exceeds the standard, AI will suggest you to make behavioral decisions, such as turning on the water wheel, turning on the aerator, or using medication. Fishermen use their own experience or knowledge to decide whether to follow the suggestion. Afterwards, the system will compare the results of the decision, and fishermen can also judge based on the results whether the decision made by a real person is better than the behavioral decision made by the “digital twin.”

In addition, the digital twin AI of smart agriculture operates in the background around the clock, silently recording and analyzing the corresponding "behavioral decisions" of fishermen in response to various "facility factors" and "growth factors" in smart farms. Decision-making", slowly establishing the best solution model for the farming strategies. Slowly, AI silently learns these "tacit knowledge" from fishermen like a little apprentice at their side, so that this knowledge will not be lost when the fishermen retire.

Moreover, this technology can not only be used to "farm fish," but also "farm vegetables." These optimized farming models can become a precious database. Even novices who have just entered the industry can skip the process of exploration and directly become a master.

The greatest challenges currently faced are: insufficient manpower, aging population, loss of experience, and high cost of new technologies

Taiwan is famous for its agricultural technologies and farming technologies. However, small farmers generally have a shortage of manpower and aging workers. Digital transformation is imperative. The cost of new technologies is too high for 80% of small farmers and fishermen. Since there are too many uncertainties in environmental factors, such as climate change, and water quality changes, they are all highly dependent on experience. Therefore, the most severe challenge comes from farmers and fishermen retiring before young farmers and fishermen can take over, and many years of experience are lost because they cannot be passed on.

Smart agriculture and fisheries digital twin allow continuous optimization without downtime

"Digital twin" is an emerging technology that combines AI and HI craftsman wisdom, and was rated by Gartner as one of the top ten key technologies for the future for three consecutive years. The Department of Industrial Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs began to engage in R&D of digital twin in 2016. It believes that in addition to automation efficiency, industries also need to digitally preserve experience and skills to develop optimal human-machine collaboration technologies through AI and HI interactive learning. In the field of aquaculture, the "digital twin" of AIoT (Artificial Internet of Things) for "fishery and electricity symbiosis fish farms" digitalizes the tacit knowledge of fishermen. Using the analysis of "facility factors" constructed from different types of water quality data and “growth factors” such as fish and shrimp images and disease symptom images, as well as the "behavioral decisions" of fishermen, to train AI can produce optimized models for water quality management, aquatic product growth management, and aquatic disease management.
智慧養殖魚電共生魚塭示意圖▲The "digital twin" of AIoT for "fishery and electricity symbiosis fish farms" digitalizes the tacit knowledge of fishermen

These AI management models are combined to create a smart farming solution with high survival rate and high feed conversion rate. The entire farming process has digital monitoring data and quality that can be analyzed. Traceability can reach the initial stage of farming, greatly improving the quality, value, and output of aquatic products.

Despite promising prospects, there are still many challenges

The III IDEAS first become involved in “digital twin” due to a forward-looking technology project supported by the Department of Industrial Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs in 2018. At that time, the Department of Industrial Technology believed that in addition to automation efficiency, industries also need to digitally preserve experience and skills to develop optimal human-machine collaboration technologies through AI and HI interactive learning.

Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan subsequently supported the application of "digital twin" in smart agriculture. "The application of digital twin technology in agriculture helps small farmers digitally accumulate experience, and improves their agricultural skills through the interaction of group experience and AI, resolving the greatest challenge of intelligent agriculture.” Intelligent agriculture digital twin technology is expected to increase production efficiency by 30% after commercialization and is quite promising.

Interview picture of Qiu Jingming, team leader of the Service Innovation Institute
▲Team leader Qiu Jingming: "The behavioral decisions made by powerful fishermen are three times better than those of ordinary fishermen in terms of results."

 

Digital Twin: Aqua-Solution

Digital Twin: Aqua-Solution

After working with technology-based aquaculture companies and gaining support from an industry project of the Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs, III IDEAS applied digital twin technology in the field of "smart fish farms." The field application team responsible for aquaculture pointed out: “In fish farms, fishermen often make different behavioral decisions when facing various environmental changes. The behavioral decisions made by experienced fishermen are three times better than ordinary fishermen in terms of results. For example, the survival rate of white shrimps is generally about 10%, but some fishermen can achieve a yield of up to 30%. This reduced production costs and tripled profits.
Digital twin technology can pass on the tacit knowledge of these experts and ultimately upgrade the entire industry."

The "digital twin" is composed of 9 sensors, fish images, and fishermen's behavioral decisions

9 sensors, constantly monitoring "facility factors" such as water quality

IDEAS uses nine sensors to monitor water quality,  including dissolved oxygen, water temperature, pH, salinity, turbidity, ammonia nitrogen, nitrate, chlorophyll a, and ORP (Oxidation-Reduction Potential), in order to obtain the environmental data of various farms. These factors are also known as “facility factors.”

In addition, fishermen will regularly take fish and shrimp out of the pond, or use submersible cameras to take pictures of farmed species underwater. This is used to determine the current size of the farmed species and its growth condition, which is also called "growth factor."

「設施因子」、「成長因子」再加上漁民在不同情境下會採取的「行為決策」,就可以在雲端伺服器裡面創造一個虛擬的「數位分身」。

▲"Facility factors," "growth factors" plus "behavioral decisions" made by fishermen in different situations can create a "digital twin" in the cloud server. (Source of diagram: Taiwan Salt Green Energy Co., Ltd. commissioned Sanyi Design Consultants Co., Ltd. to design) 

With these two factors plus "behavioral decisions" made by fishermen in different situations, a "digital twin" can be created in the cloud server.

In this game-like "digital twin," we can simulate as much as we want to find the best "behavioral decision" under different "facility factors" and obtain the optimal "growth factor.”

To put it in a way that is easier to understand, readers can try to imagine that we have a game called "Happy Fish Farm." The environmental parameters of the fish farm are all recorded from actual situations. We also record the behavioral decisions made by each "Happy Fish Farm" player under different environmental parameters and the final results. When the number of recorded data sets is sufficient, a digital twin of the fish farm can be obtained from machine learning, and then real-time data is simulated to obtain optimal combinations. This simulated world is the "digital twin" of "Happy Fish Farm."

How is the issue of sensors easily being damaged resolved?

However, there will always be challenges in the R&D process. For example, underwater sensors such as water temperature and dissolved oxygen sensors are often damaged due to algae growth. Underwater cameras that record the size of fish are often blurred and unrecognizable due to sediment or algae pollution on the bottom of the pond.

There are two solutions for overcoming the issue with sensor damage. One is to regularly scoop water out from the pond and pass it through the sensor for detection. The other is to make the sensor into a box and put it into the pond every day to detect the water quality.

As for the growth condition of fish and shrimp, fishermen only need to fish them out of the pond every day to take pictures and measure them. Low cost and effective.

Team leader Chiu said: "We are currently developing a 9-in-1 water quality detection box. After successful integration, we can prepare for mass production and start commercial operation by selling the box plus a monthly connection fee."

Team leader Chiu of IDEAS of the III said: "The issue with sensor damage is the cost. Even though it provides great benefits, it would be meaningless if fishermen are not willing to use it due to high cost. We are currently developing a 9-in-1 water quality detection box. After successful integration, we can prepare for mass production and start commercial operation by selling the box plus a monthly connection fee. We are now very close to completing the integration, and welcome companies to discuss cooperation.”

Difficulties in recording fishermen’s behavioral decisions

Another challenge comes from fishermen. Some fishermen will consciously record the water quality and environmental indicators they observe every day, and record their own operating strategies and results. However, not every fisherman will do this. This is why it is necessary to use GAN (generative adversarial network) technology, which is very important in AI.

GAN will generate possible strategies of fishermen based on past data, i.e., it "guesses" the fishermen's decisions to supplement the behavioral decisions that the fishermen do not input. If it is completed by fishermen afterwards, it will not affect the training data set.

After the award-winning technology is put into mass production, 300% production efficiency will no longer be out of reach

Current applications of "digital twin" technology worldwide are mostly in aerospace and manufacturing. Taiwan and the Netherlands are the first to engage in the R&D of digital twin in intelligent agriculture. Therefore,the "Intelligent Agriculture Digital Twin" winning the U.S. R&D 100 Awards is proof of Taiwan’s technological leadership. We are currently completing the integrated water quality monitoring box and total solution, and the product is expected to increase production efficiency by 300%.

In the future, "digital twin" technology will not only be used in agriculture and fisheries, but can also be extended to industries that originally relied on "tacit knowledge", such as tea making, fisheries, etc. Due to the digitization of the entire process, quality no longer relies on experience and the weather. This can upgrade farmers' technology for "AI monitoring" and "precision production." In addition to improving the productivity of traditional agriculture and fisheries, it also has a good chance of achieving sustainable operations, upgrading the entire industry, and making it more appealing for young people to return to their hometowns to work in agriculture and fisheries.

Reference materials: A key piece of the puzzle of smart manufacturing! Innovative sensing technology that accelerates the realization of "digital twin" - Digital era

Recommend Cases

這是一張圖片。 This is a picture.
AI-Based PCBA Surface Defect Detection Improvements

With the introduction of theAOIAIWith the introduction of the system, we can improve product yield, reduce costs, and from a business perspective, increase customer trust and sales revenue Moreover, AIit has advantages that are difficult to imitate, unlike other equipment that can be bought with money, making it hard for our competitors to catch up with us Our company's current development We are committed toIOTsmart manufacturing our systems already include smart materials systems, environmental humidity control systems, anti-miscarriage systems, smart procurement computation systems, smart inventory systems, solder paste management systems, and production management systems We have asked other manufacturers about the possibility ofAIinspectingPCBAsurface defects, each hoping that we would purchase their equipment, but none were effective upon verification After discussing with IT service providers, we defined it asAOIAIa feasible operational model Tzuhong Technology has invested inAOIAIan inspection plan to checkSMTtext on components, solder joints, polarity, missing partsand usingAIto replace manual learningAOIand define the 'potentially defective' parts, enhancing productivity and reducing misjudgment rates Industry pain points Taiwan faces a severe labor shortage, especially those willing to perform visual inspections are few and typically older, increasing the frequency of missed inspections Thus, the most critical bottleneck in the pursuit of high-quality electronics has become post-production inspections Previous consumer products with undetected anomalies were acceptable within a certain ratio However, in the automotive industry today, undetected defects could lead to fatalities hence, the automotive industry has extremely high quality demands To survive in the automotive supply chain, we must address the issue of undetectable anomalies Moreover, as wages in Taiwan continue to rise, we can only endeavor toAIreplace traditional manpower with technology, otherwise, even if the anomaly leakage problem is resolved, the relatively high labor costs will still prevent competitiveness in this industry Application technology and explanation Initially,Figure 1,PCBUpon emerging,Reflowsystem, it will undergoAOIwill undergo inspection, dividing into 'suspected defective' and good products At this point, the 'suspected defective' portion accounts for20manual review for these20parts, further classifying the 'suspected defective' portion into good and defective products With We aim to leverageAItechnology, to shift from manual re-inspection of these20technology, we aim to replace manual review of 'suspected defective' products withAIand after review, the results still yield 'good' and 'suspected defective' products, but now 'suspected defective' comprises only3thus reducing the workload of Tzuhong's employees from20down to only3In theory, it isAOIIn theory, after inspection, it is further reviewed byAIbut it appears to go throughAOIonly, so we call this technologyA0IAIDetectionFigure 2。 The original AOI inspection process The operator will place the testPCBboard intoAOIthe inspection equipment, outputtingAOI information on defective products, then manually re-inspect one by one to determine if they are defective AOIAI inspection process The operator will place the testPCBboard intoAOIthe inspection equipment, outputtingAOIinformation on defective products after, then proceed byAIfirst performingAOIre-assessment of defective products, outputtingAIinformation on defective products afterward, then manually re-inspect one by one to determine if they are defective Process differences By introducing theAOIAIsystem, not only can we enhance the efficiency and yield of visual inspection personnel, we also have this timeAIexperience in system introduction, we will also incorporateAIthe use of big data into Tzuhong's existing smart manufacturing systems, further enhancing the performance of our smart manufacturing systems and reducing the pressure on employees Difference between pre and post-introduction Promotion strategy 1 Similar field diffusion allSMTmanufacturers face bottlenecks in inspections leading to shipment delays introducing this system can solve the severe labor shortage issue and enhance shipment speed and quality, allowing self-promotion to customers or through equipment dealers to cater to relevant needs 2 Cross-industry expansion plans negotiate withAOImanufacturers to directly integrateAIthe system intoAOItheir systems, enhancing their market competitiveness Profit strategy 1 In collaboration withAOImanufacturers, collect licensing fees 2 Direct sales toSMTthe manufacturing industryAIsystems 3 ProvideSMTmanufacturing industryAOIAIsystem subscription model「Translated content is generated by ChatGPT and is for reference only Translation date:2024-12-09」

【導入案例】化身大型AIOT科技遊樂場 海科館華麗轉身好吸睛
Transforming into a Large-Scale AIoT Technology Playground: The Spectacular Makeover of the National Museum of Marine Science & Technology

Taiwan is a maritime nation When you visit the Badozi Fishing Port or Tidal Park in Keelung, do you also explore the mysteries of the ocean world at the 48-hectare National Museum of Marine Science amp Technology To get more people closer to marine technology, Keelung's Marine Museum has introduced technological services, transforming the venue into a large technology playground that delights both children and adults, fully utilizing the 'learning through play' approach After a lengthy planning process, Northern Taiwan's largest marine science museum in Keelung opened in January 2014 The museum focuses on marine education and technology, boasting Taiwan's largest IMAX 3D ocean theater The unique themes and modern viewing facilities should make it a well-known landmark in Keelung However, the original exhibition planning was static and highly specialized, lacking sufficient interaction with the public Visitors who have attended the museum also reported that the exhibits were limited and quite boring, leading to poor overall consumer experience ratings The top three dissatisfactions with the museum were weak connections to surrounding attractions, unengaging display content, and lack of exhibit material According to statistics from the Marine Museum, the ratio of local to visiting guests is approximately 64, with most foreign visitors coming from the north transportation is primarily by car and bus common types of visits include family, parent-child, and friends and the stay duration is generally 1 to 2 hours Upon deeper investigation, the top three visitor complaints were weak linkages to surrounding attractions, unengaging display content, and insufficient number of exhibits The museum analyzed potential reasons, including some displays being too specialized, making it difficult for the public to understand, and a lack of interactive elements, making the exhibition boring and the visit hurriedly brief Analysis of visitor profiles revealed that since half of the museum's visitors are locals, and accessing the museum is not so easy for out-of-towners who must travel by car or public transport, the design of the venue and exhibitions must incorporate more interactivity and intrigue to encourage locals to return and extend the duration of visitors' stays while using technological services to highlight the museum's unique features Through a recommendation from the Information Software Association, part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Industrial Bureau AI team, the Marine Museum commissioned Jugu Technology to resolve the issue of uninspiring venue attractions Preliminary interviews by Jugu Technology revealed that many visitors were attracted by the architectural design of the museum, notices posted on nearby walls, flags, or events being held the most interesting feature for visitors was the 3D ocean theater, indicating that content presented through audio-video and physical scenic methods was more engaging Seven major AI technologies lead to a boost in regional tourism at the Marine Museum Through the introduction of technology services, Jugu Technology designed the 48-hectare site with seven major services AI voice tours, treasure hunt puzzle games, AI exhibit interactive revitalization, AI space exhibition interactive experience, AI crowd control, Face AI interactive experience, and AI voice customer service system By utilizing AIoT and cloud technology, they made the exhibition more interesting, not only solving the issue of boring static viewings for children but also doubling the learning efficiency and dramatically improving public perception of the Marine Museum, thus increasing visitor intent and boosting regional tourism The National Museum of Marine Science and Technology introduced seven major technological application services including AI voice guide Jugu Technology aimed to improve the space optimization of the Marine Museum, using the special exhibition of coastal birds in northern Taiwan as a prototype, integrating 'face', 'limb', 'crowd' as three main axes to enhance functionality and assist in improving the museum's application of AI Practically, the Marine Museum and Jugu Technology selected the on-site special exhibits to avoid any installation of water and electricity works or pipelines in active exhibits, thereby maintaining the quality of the viewing experience Instead, they selected exhibits that were not yet open to introduce a series of technological services tailored to the unique characteristics of the exhibits In the coastal bird special exhibition inside the Marine Museum, initial construction discussions with the curators utilized Bella X1 for a welcoming interactive introduction at the exhibition entrance This was followed by an AI-powered smart guide in both Chinese and English using X1 for narration, coupled with a fun treasure hunting stamp-collecting activity - APP X1, allowing visitors to participate in challenges Subsequently, bird species within the bird exhibition were brought to life interactively using X1, and AR scenarios X1 were introduced into the exhibition space to add elements of fun and entertainment Finally, Face AI was used to interactively test facial expressions and score smiles The gorgeously transformed Marine Museum will become the best travel destination for families with children ImageMarine Museum FB Page The AIoT services introduced by the Marine Museum could be extended to various exhibition-type museums and even static art galleries in the future, tailored to the unique characteristics of different venues They could also be promoted through government projects and related plans, aiding in rural revitalization, making visits more than just sightseeing in rural areas, and breaking free from stereotypes associated with different venues The applications of these services are broad「Translated content is generated by ChatGPT and is for reference only Translation date:2024-05-19」

這是一張圖片。 This is a picture.
AI Assists the Red Cross for Smarter Emergency Response

More Preparation Less Loss The Taiwan Food Bank Association, a non-profit organization, collects donations daily from wholesalers, retailers, manufacturers, and even kind-hearted individuals across Taiwan They also rescue consumable materials that are about to be discarded, properly allocate and deliver to households in need, aiding local underprivileged populations When natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, mudslides, typhoons, floods, and droughts occur in Taiwan, the food bank's resources can be immediately deployed for disaster relief This field verification unit is the Nantou County Red Cross AssociationOne of the food bank locations, hereinafter referred to as the Nantou Red CrossIs responsible for tasks like pre-disaster supplies preparation and disaster relief material distribution, helping the government bear the responsibility of disaster relief and aid In Taiwan, various natural disasters have characteristics of different duration and spatial coverage, wide or narrow With the normalization of extreme weather, the scale and number of disasters are gradually increasing and becoming harder to predict The required amount and type of materials differ by disaster, and they must address the lifestyles of the affected areas, rescue needs, traffic conditions, geographical restrictions, and other factors for varied material allocation, facing numerous challenges Typhoon Kanu severely damaged transportation in Nantou mountain areas Nantou County Red Cross planned the mountainous route Puli gt Fazhi Elementary School gt Qin'ai Village gt Aowanda to deliver supplies Disasters happen repeatedly We need to be prepared at all times Effective disaster preparedness can mitigate the impact, including swift response to material needs in affected areas, aid distribution, and even psychological support, providing added security for life and property of those in disaster zones Lack of Timeliness in Disaster Information To improve the living conditions and address the lack of supplies in remote areas, the Taiwan Food Bank Association has partnered with the Nantou Red Cross and has successively established food bank points in Nantou City, Puli, and Ren'aiLixing, Ruiyan, XinyiWangmei, Tongfu, Shuili, Lugu and Caotun among others9establish food bank locations, providing supplies worth a certain amount per household every month6001000in New Taiwan Dollars However, many challenges still need to be overcome during natural disasters For example, when typhoons, earthquakes, and landslides occur, the information source for disaster relief dispatch systems relies on post-disaster reports The time lag between reporting, response, and execution prevents timely adjustment and distribution of 'disaster relief' supplies based on the needs of affected areas, affecting rescue efficiency due to lack of timely information The 'preparedness' supplies of the Nantou Red Crosssuch as dry food, water, instant noodles, etc,are recorded manually in terms of stock, expiration dates, and distribution,When a disaster occurs, there is a chance that 'preparedness' supplies have expired and cannot become 'disaster relief' supplies It’s also possible that both conditions mentioned above occur simultaneously, leading to a need for more time to reassign 'preparedness' supplies into usable 'disaster relief' materials On the other hand, upon receiving information about shortages in disaster areas, the supplies donated by the public often grossly differ from the actual needs of the disaster zone, leading to an excess of supplies The Process of Material Operations Before and After a Natural Disaster AIAnticipating Natural Disasters Reinforcing the Accuracy of Preparedness Material Dispatch Application API Technology connects to compute the state of the climate, the intensity of disaster rescues, prioritizing the main tasks of the Nantou Red Cross and the needed areas of search and rescue Coordinated with the existing heavy rain and typhoon simulation disaster training of the Nantou Red Cross, a 'Natural Disaster Emergency Preparedness Material Dispatch and Supplement Decision System' is establishedreferred to as the Emergency Preparedness Material System。 In material management, inventory data along with immediate supply data are entered into the Emergency Preparedness Material System for comparison and analysis, helping the Nantou Red Cross quickly recognize materials like cookiesdry food, beverages, frozen food, toilet paper, etc, and determining whether they should be 'preparedness' materials or regularly distributed materials Adding to this, information forecasting understands the potential disaster conditions in remote areas, facilitating food delivery, addressing both front-end food wastage and backend practical needs When a natural disaster occurs, it enables faster response and decision-making, completing material deployment, hence increasing the speed of material operation transition20。 AI Emergency Preparedness Material System Helps Rapidly Adapt Material Distribution Through the field verification of the Nantou Red CrossAIthe system, material management, and related applications are promoted to more emergency response organizations in different areas, while continuously improving the alert functions within the Emergency Preparedness Material System, strengthening the technological foundation for alerts, enhancing prediction accuracySystem immediacy, and optimizing the data collection and analysis process Simultaneously, it can collaborate with government agencies, meteorological departments, or other rescue teams to discuss integrating more data sources, establishing a mechanism to share resources and data promptly, sharing information in real-time, helping more emergency response organizations enhance their disaster response abilities, seizing the golden rescue time 「Translated content is generated by ChatGPT and is for reference only Translation date:2024-12-12」