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RELAPP:Portable electronic device controlled by an APP for the in-situ measurement of the elasticity of flour masses based on artificial intelligence
RELAPP-MIRANDA Ecosystem for Advanced Viscoelastic Material Analysis
This scientific result introduces a disruptive ecosystem for the characterization of complex viscoelastic materials—such as flour doughs, foams, soft plastics, silicones, and putties—integrating robotics and computer vision to overcome the limitations of traditional, bulky equipment. The solution combines RELAPP, a portable robotized rheometer, with MIRANDA, a non-invasive computer vision analyzer, establishing a new paradigm for rapid, cost-effective material analysis.
RELAPP (Rheometer Laboratory APP) acts as the active testing unit. It is a multi-degree-of-freedom robot that mechanically deforms soft materials, measuring their real-time response via integrated sensors. As an "observer-type" rheometer, it quantifies resistive forces and compactibility, extracting critical industrial parameters like elasticity and tenacity, viscosity, extensibility, and consistency.
MIRANDA (Measuring Intelligent Robotic Analysis Network Developed Around) provides the non-contact analytical layer. Using high-speed cameras and advanced algorithms, it tracks deformation dynamics to assess elasticity and creep behavior without physical interference. A key disruptive feature is MIRANDA’s ability to perform continuous analysis directly on production lines, enabling real-time monitoring of material properties during manufacturing, unlike traditional discrete testing methods.
Synergy and Validation:Studies on flour doughs demonstrated strong correlations ($r > 0.8$) between MIRANDA’s vision-based metrics and RELAPP’s force measurements. Furthermore, machine learning models trained on this data successfully predicted standard industrial rheological parameters (e.g., baking strength and viscosity) with statistically significant accuracy. Finally, the versatility of MIRANDA has recently been adapted for human health applications, offering potential for non-invasive motion analysis and diagnostics.
See: https://www.mdpi.com/3554170
- Industrial Manufacturing and Quality Control
The primary application lies in the automated quality control of production lines for soft materials.
Real-time Continuous Monitoring: A disruptive application of MIRANDA is its ability to perform continuous analysis directly on production lines. It allows for the real-time evaluation of material responses without interrupting the manufacturing process, ensuring stringent quality control.
Process Optimization: By evaluating material responses to external forces in real-time, manufacturers can optimize production processes instantly.
Food Industry: Specifically validated for analyzing flour doughs (bread, pastries), measuring key parameters like baking strength (W), tenacity (P), extensibility (L), and viscosity to ensure consistency.
Polymers and Soft Materials: Applicable to foams, soft plastics, silicones, and putties, characterizing their elasticity, extensibility, and tenacity.
- Research and Development (R&D)
The portability and speed of the system accelerate material science research.
Accelerated Development Cycles: The ecosystem provides rapid, accurate, and non-destructive testing capabilities (calculating parameters in minutes), allowing researchers to iterate faster than with traditional, slow rheometers.
Characterization of Complex Materials: It enables the precise evaluation of elasticity, viscosity, relaxation, and creep behavior across a diverse range of new materials, including gels and biological tissues.
- Robotics and Automation
Material Identification: RELAPP can be integrated into automated systems to enable robots to distinguish between different substances based solely on their viscoelastic properties (e.g., differentiating a sponge from a dough based on how it deforms).
- Biomedical and Health (MIRANDA Health Adaptation)
MIRANDA has been adapted for applications involving human subjects.
Human Motion Analysis: It performs detailed analysis of movement kinematics and dynamics, supporting biomechanical research and the diagnosis of neurological disorders.
Rehabilitation: The system supports rehabilitation programs by monitoring patient movement and recovery progress non-invasively.
