DeepDetection developed a new generation of X-ray cameras that go beyond the detection limits of the conventional technology. They provide a deeper imaging for a safer and more circular world.
Deepdetection is one of the award winners of Tech Tour Food & Bioeconomy 2021. Read more to get to know them better.
Deeper Imaging for a safe food
Plastics are used across the entire supply chain for food manufacturing, whether that’s plastic containers that move bulk material around from farms to factories, or the drives inside conveyor belts, the seals inside pipes and tube work, or from packaging and handheld tools.
The data does not lie, there are around 130 product recalls every year in Europe because of a serious risk of foreign bodies in food, and around 30 percent of those are plastics.
Recalls in the food industry are highly disruptive, there are a lot of costs associated with recalls, because it involves product storage, product disposal, liabilities, and not having a product in the market means lost sales.
Deep Detection’s camera is able to detect plastic contamination in food where other inspection techniques cannot. In that sense, our vision is clear: Deeper Imaging for a safer and more circular world.
Our story in a nutshell
The startup, founded by David Ciudad, Colin Burnham, Mokhtar Chmeissani and José Gabriel Macías in July 2020, is a technological spin-off of the High Energy Physics Institute (IFAE), promoted by The Collider -Mobile World capital, and in less than a year of life, it has positioned as one of the most relevant deep tech projects with application in the food industry in the national ecosystem, with patents in the United States, Europe, Japan and China.
During the last year, the project has achieved several outstanding awards, such as the 'Siemens Award' for the best solution in automation and robotics, awarded within the framework of 'Food 4 Future Exppo FoodTech’, and the 'Santander X Spain Award 2021', granted by Banco de Santander.
Deep Detection is an example of public-private technology transfer collaboration, which after more than 6 years of research and development, aims to launch its first product by the end of 2022 or early 2023. 'After many years of development, talking to many customers, knowing their problems, and many difficulties, we are happy to be able to achieve this great milestone in the short term. We are creating the foundations of a great company with disruptive products in the food sector, and in the coming years in the world of recycling, security and medicine.’, says David.
What does Deep Detection do and what is its application in the industry?
"The technology that is currently used in the food industry to detect foreign bodies in its production lines", continues David Ciudad, "has problems working at high speeds, at the speed at which these lines work, since it can only detect elements High-density materials, such as metals or stones, while low-density materials, such as plastics, wood or bones, continue to cause problems, simply because they cannot be detected, such as plastics in yogurt or cereals or bones in filleted chicken. Our camera, thanks to a multispectral capability and its own photon counting technology, is capable of detecting and categorizing these materials at high speeds, significantly improving the capabilities of inspection systems and the protection of consumer safety".
Traction in the food and beverage industry
Initially, Deep Detection has specialized in the inspection of food and beverages, where low-density materials that often appear in packaging, transport or harvesting can enter manufacturing and disrupt production. "Mistakes annoy consumers, damage brand trust and disrupt business operations. Around 130 product recalls a year occur in the European food industry due to serious foreign body risk. Direct costs alone can number in the tens of millions. Incident prevention is key and our technology is designed to prevent them," says David Ciudad, the startup's chief executive officer.
The company is currently involved in proof-of-concept trials with future clients and food production firms to address inspection challenges, the main one being detecting plastic contamination in food.
Our partners in this technological adventure.
One of the great milestones achieved in 2021 has been the trust placed in Deep Detection and the founding team by recognized international investors. Vigo Ventures -the investment vehicle of the industrial inspection specialist Vigo System- the investment platform Tech Transfer Agrifood, integrated into Clave Capital, and ESOM, have led the investment to carry out our business plan in 2022. They are two very complementary VCs for Deep Detection, who are helping us to accelerate our processes and reach the market.
We are currently a team of 5 people, and we will be 9 by the end of 2022. So keep an eye on our networks, we are looking for smart people who want to join these technological adventures.
