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A new optical sorting system developed by schmiede.one is using industrial camera technology from IDS Imaging Development Systems to automate potato grading, helping farms address rising quality requirements and labour shortages.

The Farmsort.one precision sorter combines size grading and quality inspection in a single pass, enabling potatoes to be separated into up to five grades without the need for manual re-sorting. The system is designed for small and medium-sized agricultural businesses and can be integrated into existing sorting lines.

At the heart of the system is a 1.5-metre inspection section, where each potato is captured multiple times as it moves along a controlled conveyor. Depending on the configuration, two or three IDS industrial cameras monitor the product flow from different angles.

Rather than relying on a single inspection point or requiring each potato to rotate freely, Farmsort.one assesses produce through repeated inspections along the defined inspection path. This approach is designed to provide consistent results even when potatoes are unwashed or carry soil and other foreign material.

The system uses IDS U3-3270CP Rev. 2.2 USB3 Vision cameras to classify potatoes and identify quality issues during processing. One camera detects foreign objects, including stones, as well as defects such as wireworm holes, while another tracks individual potatoes as they travel along the conveyor.

Combined with a rotary encoder, the tracking system can determine the position of individual potatoes, allowing produce that is damaged or outside specification to be selectively removed. Integration is carried out using the IDS peak SDK, supporting camera configuration, mounting and focus adjustment.

The conveyor-based system is fully electric and is designed to provide controlled product handling while reducing wear and energy consumption compared with pneumatic sorting mechanisms. Farmsort.one can process both washed and unwashed potatoes at throughput rates of up to two tonnes per hour.

Rather than simply separating acceptable and defective potatoes, the system combines quality and size grading. Defective potatoes can be removed through the first outlet, oversized produce through the second, while Grade A potatoes remain in the main product stream.

According to the case study, real-world farms achieve throughput of around 1.4 to 1.7 tonnes per hour, while as many as 73% of users have eliminated manual re-sorting altogether. This can reduce reliance on manual labour while delivering market-ready produce directly from the sorting line.

The modular design also allows farms to expand their systems over time, with additional sorting outlets or cameras able to be added as requirements develop. Remote monitoring is available as an option, allowing sorting parameters to be adjusted and optimised remotely.

Farmsort.one was developed within the Grimme Group and is already in use on more than 50 farms. The technology is intended to provide a scalable approach to automated sorting while supporting continuous operation during critical harvesting periods.