Currently, in the post-harvest chili industry, separation of the chili pod from the stem is highly manual and it limits the number of chilis that can be destemmed because of the workforce shortage and high costs. Our objective and strategy are to fully automate the separation process with minimal human interference. We proposed to use high-end automation using image processing and control algorithms to separate the pod and calyx. Our scope is to ensure we handle each chili individually and with a moisture content varying from 12 to 25. We do not have any limitation on the variant of Chili. We can process chili up to a max length of 150mm. Our system is designed and being build to handle individual chili thus ensuring proper separation. Our system will be processing 36 chilis/second or a maximum of 129600 chilis/ hour, which roughly translates to approximately 100kgs/hour. We use image processing and advanced algorithms to orient and detect the edge of the Calyx and Pod. We do not use a shear cutting but instead are able to replicate the human motion of separation of the calyx and pod, ensuring a very high process yield. Our solution can easily be integrated with other automation solutions. It is scalable to enhance capacity and also is capable of having advanced data capture and analytics. The Product solution will:

1. Eliminate people working in the hazardous work environment currently calyx and stem removed manually and workforce is exposed to Chili fumes, seeds, and pods
2. Farmers can earn higher revenue as the price of destemmed Chili is higher than stemmed chili
3. Upskilling of workforce
4. Increase in overall revenue of Chili trading, thus helping the complete eco-system
5. Reduce Storage Costs - Cold Storage will impact the farmers revenue.