System for Remote Food Measurement

Business Need

The main part of any restaurant is, obviously, kitchen and food that is made there. But when a single restaurant grows into a famous country-wide chain, its kitchen is not about cooking anymore, it’s about the conveyor.

On this stage, the restaurant processes mainly fall under manufacturing rules so that each step would take the precise amount of time and each product would have standardized weight. A consumer would always be satisfied when getting a product of the same recognizable flavor.

And manufacturing rules require manufacturing approaches. Among them would be item monitoring on each preparation and storing stage, automatic triggering of alerts, and weight identifying.

Therefore we have developed remote food measurement software that allows to detect food type and identify products weight in real-time with 95% accuracy using the 3D video cameras and on-the-edge CV tech.

Solution

    Softarex Technologies, Inc. has designed the unique system to remotely measure the mass of homogeneous products with the help of video cameras operating in real time. It includes:

  • An iPad application for restaurant operations;
  • A real-time video stream system based on industrial PC;
  • Cloud-based application for data collection and analysis.

The platform can easily cover the network of more than 2000 restaurants with seamless performance on the constantly high level due to its scalability.

Customer

Under NDA

Challenge

  • Product type and weight identification without its extraction from a workflow and use of extra time.
  • The identification of food waste amount during the preparation process.
  • Automatic time detection for each cooking stage and employees notification about delays.
  • Product storage identification and employees notification about its shelf life ending.

Value Delivered

  • The system has revealed a surprising quantity of wasted and spoiled food due to poor timing of existing processes: more than 30% of food per week has never seen the guest. The value of such a discovery for the business can hardly be overestimated.
  • The collected explicit metrics provide grounds for further prediction of food cooking for a particular restaurant.
  • Monitoring of food preparation is improved with the system of timers and alerts. And with the system that keeps statistics for each container’s move, it became easier to analyze the flaws of the current workflow.

Technologies

Project Results

    As a result, Softarex has managed to bring an industrial approach to the kitchen and make it work as effectively as possible, providing the below set of features:

  • Automatic food type detection — once container with food is placed under the 3D video cameras, the system automatically detects its content and identifies its type.
  • Products weight identification — same 3D cameras detect the weight of identified product in real time with 95% accuracy.
  • Containers tracking — as each container with food is identified by the cameras, it allows to monitor its movements throughout the kitchen.
  • Time tracking — in order to help employees to make sure each container presents in the preparation zone the required time, the system is furnished with counters and alerts per each container, that is set automatically once a container is detected in a particular place, or manually by employees.
  • Data collection and analysis — since the system keeps a record of each container movement and weight of the product throughout the whole process, it becomes really simple to collect data about wasted food and make predictions for food cooking for a particular restaurant.

To make this all work, every kitchen had to undergo a number of changes in order to create a proper environment and satisfy the system’s requirements. And our team has provided the full support of the overall deployment process, taken under control each and every restaurant.

What our customers say

Anicia Gau
VP Business Development

I’ve bеen working with Softarex for more than six years and three things were the cornerstones of our cooperation: quality, communication, and accessibility. These guys have always clearly understood all the functional specs I needed and gave me the best translation into the tech specs. All the databases were structured into the utmost flexibility – you can leave all the hardcoded stuff to the ancient times. Definitely 5 stars!

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Daan Hommes, MD, PhD
CEO at DEAR Health, Inc.

We hired Softarex Technologies, Inc. for a large, complex development project. They did an excellent job. The project was done on time and on budget. We continue to work them on new projects.

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Kevin Woodward
ReadyTech Corporation President

For all the time of working with Softarex Technologies, the difference between customer-contractor relations and partnership relations has become clear. That is exactly how this company builds the working process - you both (the company and its client) becomes partners. And it is not only to sign a contract, but it is also about negotiations, discussions, compromises, constant communication and joint decision making. Softarex will deliver its client a turn-key solution that exceeds all the expectations, all on time and within the budget. And after that, they will provide with a superior customer care that will maintain the relationships for years. Noventic provides devices and systems for the consumption-based collection and billing of water and heat and serves customers worldwide. Since 2010, various solutions in preparation of the internet of things (IoT) have been developed. For us, Softarex Technologies, Inc. has developed housing and public utilities solution - the future for energy suppliers. With the new system meter, readouts can be carried out at any time and fulfill upcoming regulations. The supplier can give transparency and thereby obtain trust from tenants and housing industries in the service. The team we’ve worked with earns praise for their timeliness, collaborative approach, and technical expertise. Their transparent clarifications minimize confusion and ensure clean high-quality deliverables.

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Thomas Ahlborn
Head of corporate marketing

We’ve been working with Softarex Technologies, Inc. team for over two years. These guys have brought us from the Stone Age to the Digital Age. Their team has developed the state-of-the-art billing and information management software for SYBE as well as web-based Clinic Management Software for SYBE's clients. Both solutions are at the cutting edge, meeting all the requirements and standards: ANSI 835, 837; Meaningful Use; HIPAA, HL 7 and ODBS compliant; ICD 10 Diagnostics, CPT/HCPCS, NDC numbers; CMS-1500 claims, etc.

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Steven Garrett
President of SYBE Medical Management

What I found extremely interesting in Softarex Technologies, Inc. it is the possibilities to use a wide range of technologies and each time get the same quality and time-requirement! I strongly suggest cooperating with Softarex Technologies!

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Carmine Mattera
IT Director at Artensys S.r.l.

Softarex Technologies, Inc. delivers “what” they promise, “when” they say they are going to complete a job and that is a great thing. Most business people “over promise” to get your money, and then they “under perform”. I appreciate your great work and professionalism. You have earned my trust! Keep doing what you are doing and you will build your business with great success.

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Marc R. Bakerman
President and Founder of The Child I.D. Program, Inc.