A 3D Shape-Measuring System for Assessing Strawberry Fruits

Plant shape measurements have conventionally been conducted in plant science by classifying their shape features, by measuring their widths and lengths with a Vernier caliper, or by similar methods. Those measurements rely heavily on human senses and manual labor, making it difficult to acquire massive data. Additionally, they are prone to large measurement differences. To cope with those problems of conventional measuring methods, we are developing a three-dimensional (3D) shape-measuring system using images and a reliable assessment technique. 3D objects enable us to assess and measure shape features with high accuracy and to automatically measure volume, which conventional methods cannot. Thus, our new system is capable of automatically and efficiently measuring objects. Our goal is to obtain wide acceptance of our method at actual research sites. Unlike industrial products, it is difficult to properly assess the measurements of plants because of their object fluctuations and shape complexities. This paper describes our automatic 3D shape-measuring system, the method for assessing measurement accuracy, and the assessment results. The measurement accuracy of the developed system for strawberry fruits is 0.6 mm or less for 90% or more of the fruit and 0.3 mm or less for 80%. This evidence supports the system’s capability of shape assessment. The developed system can fully automate photographing, measuring, and modeling objects and can semi-automatically analyze them, reducing the time required for the entire process from the conventional time of 6–7 h to 1.5 h. The developed system is designed for users with no technical knowledge so that they can easily use it to acquire 3D measurement data on plants. Thus, we intend to expand measurable objects from strawberry fruits to other plants and their parts, including leaves, stalks, and flowers