In this final part of a three-part interview, Nohtal Partansky from Sorting Robotics talks to Machine Design about the technology available to sort cannabis biomass using high-speed cameras to determine the seeds from the stems and the buds in real time. “At the moment, there’s no computer vision inside of Stardust, but we’ve done other products before,” he said. “We have another product that does sorting of cannabis biomass, and that is almost entirely computer-vision powered.”

Integrated cameras on their Stardust system, however, allow them to provide customer assistance, Partansky pointed out. By viewing live video feeds, Sorting Robotics’ support team can diagnose issues and offer solutions.

A host of sensors can be found on Sorting Robotics’ machines. “There’s a ton of sensors on the machine,” Partansky said. “All of our robots are IoT-enabled, and so we’re getting data on everything.” This helps them to provide solutions for their customers.

Looking forward, he says the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) systems and automation will likely shape the future of cannabis manufacturing, drawing parallels with advancements in the aerospace industry, where Partansky began.

“What I see in the future is as the AI improves, most of the quality control is going to start moving to the machine side. And so some of the advancements in QC that are required in…aerospace, those will definitely influence [the cannabis sector], and then we’ll be integrating those [AI solutions].

Watch additional parts of this interview series with Nohtal Partansky.