HIPPA project presented at SEIA 2025 Conference in the Azores

From 24th to 26th September, our researcher Gianluca Scuri represented the Center for Sensing Solutions at Eurac Research at the SEIA 2025 Conference in the Azores, where he presented the latest developments of the HIPPA project.

HIPPA aims to develop innovative technologies for the identification of physiological and parasitic damage in apples during harvest and post-harvest. In his presentation, Gianluca introduced an optical imaging system that combines visual and spectral imagers to enable early detection of both visible and invisible post-harvest disorders.

The system ensures precise fruit alignment, enabling reproducible measurements and consistent monitoring of disease progression over time. To date, the team has collected a comprehensive dataset of 1,754 apples across different cultivars and disease conditions, including hyperspectral data, spectral signatures, and RGB images of the entire fruit surface. Preliminary analyses have already demonstrated the potential of this approach for disease assessment and tracking.

Ongoing data acquisition will further expand the dataset and support the development of robust algorithms to improve early detection and monitoring of multiple post-harvest diseases, contributing to better fruit quality management.

The HIPPA project is carried out in collaboration with Libera Università di Bolzano, Laimburg Research Centre, BIOMETiC, and our Center for Sensing Solutions – Eurac Research, with the support of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano.