Iranian Technologists’ Smart Sorting System Applicable in Mineral Processing Lines

“In the field of artificial intelligence, in new technologies, high-resolution industrial cameras record consecutive images of the material flow and the artificial intelligence model recognizes the type of each sample in a fraction of a second. Then, compressed air nozzles separate undesirable grains from the main flow,” said Mohammad Reza Farahnak, the managing director of the company.

He explained that the process not only helps improve the final quality of the product, but can also significantly reduce energy consumption and the need for manpower.

“Our company has succeeded in developing a smart sorting system based on deep learning over the past few years, using a localized approach. The system uses similar architectures to convolutional neural networks (CNNs), the same algorithms used in facial recognition, autonomous driving, and medical image processing, but the main difference is how these models are adapted to the unique characteristics of agricultural products,” Farahnak said.

“Based on the preliminary studies, AI models can distinguish between mineral compositions with high accuracy by simultaneously analyzing image and spectral data. In the future, such systems could replace many of the costly and time-consuming manual sampling methods in mines. The ultimate goal is for smart sorters to be installed directly in mining and processing lines, increasing productivity and safety by making decisions in real time,” he stressed.

In a relevant development in 2024, Iranian researchers at an Iranian knowledge-based company had also succeeded in designing and making a smart sorting machine which can separate different dried fruit and saffron flower.

“Our company initially started its activity with implementation of the saffron processing line plan; the saffron processing line consists of devices equipped with artificial intelligence, and using this technology, it performs all the steps of saffron flower processing, from cutting to multi-stage separation to obtain the saffron stigma,” Mohammad Reza Almasi, the executive director of the knowledge-based company, told ANA.

“Also, this line is equipped with three smart sorting machines that can be used for dry fruits as well,” he added.

Almasi explained that a sorter is a device that can separate products based on predetermined criteria (color, shape, and size) with the accuracy and speed many times faster than human labor, adding that today, for reasons like increasing production efficiency and reducing health damage, the sorting machines are used for a variety of materials.

“The smart sorting machine developed by our company can be used to separate products like figs, dates, raisins and pistachios,” he noted.

Almasi added that the saffron processing line has been patented and used for the first time in the world.

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