Human-centred research and design approach to develop innovative sensor technology for the olive oil industry

“橄榄油已经被生产了至少8000年，今天，欧洲橄榄油市场价值30亿欧元。橄榄油在饮食和健康方面继续发挥着迷人的作用，研究表明，作为地中海饮食的一部分，每天食用特级初榨橄榄油可以增加欧洲老年人的寿命。自2013年的马肉丑闻以来，在日益分散的全球供应链中，人们对食品欺诈的认识有所提高。特级初榨橄榄油是一种特别高价值和脆弱的食品，经常在欧盟最容易欺诈的食品名单上名列前茅。2014年2月，欧盟关于控制橄榄油成分和特性的法规在英国生效，但只要求每千吨橄榄油进行一次符合性检查，换句话说，英国每年只进行59次测试。最近的一项研究发现，在英国接受检测的橄榄油中，有三分之一的橄榄油违反了质量标准。位于伦敦的中小企业Liquid Vision Innovation正在为橄榄油行业开发智能传感器，以确保和提高质量。地中海生产的橄榄油占世界产量的95%，我们的产品主要用于主要的橄榄油产区（西班牙、意大利、希腊），特别是橄榄油厂和装瓶厂。这个由英国资助的创新项目将使液体视觉创新公司能够与想象工厂经验丰富的设计专业人员合作，应用和采用早期以人为本的研究和设计过程，以确保产品为橄榄油行业提供理想的和适合的解决方案。预计该项目将为液体视觉创新带来显著的增长和出口机会。此外，开发的传感器将成为提高橄榄油质量的工具，增加基于质量的产品差异化，提高橄榄油生产商的竞争力，以及为消费者确保质量。”

"Olive oil has been produced for at least 8000 years and, today, the European olive oil market is valued at €3 billion. Olive oil continues to play a fascinating role in diet and health, with studies indicating that daily consumption of extra virgin olive oil as part of a Mediterranean diet can increase survival among older Europeans. Since the horsemeat scandal of 2013, there has been a heightened awareness of food fraud in increasingly fragmented global supply chains. Extra virgin olive oil is a particularly high-value and vulnerable food product, which regularly tops the list of foods most at risk of fraud in the EU. EU regulations controlling the composition and characteristics of olive oil came into force in the UK in February 2014, but only require one conformity check per thousand tons of olive oil, in other words only 59 tests a year in the UK. Of these tested olive oils in the UK, a recent study found that 1 in 3 breached quality standards.Liquid Vision Innovation, a London-based SME, are developing smart sensors for the olive oil industry to assure and improve quality. Mediterranean-produced olive oil accounts for 95% of world production and our product is primarily intended for use in the key olive oil-producing regions (Spain, Italy, Greece), particularly at the olive oil mills and bottlers.This Innovate UK-funded project will enable Liquid Vision Innovation to work with experienced design professionals at the Imagination Factory to apply and adopt early-stage human-centred research and design processes to ensure that the product provides a desirable and fit-for-purpose solution for the olive oil industry. It is anticipated that this project will lead to significant growth and export opportunities for Liquid Vision Innovation. In addition, the developed sensor will be a tool for improving olive oil quality, increasing quality-based product differentiation and improving competitiveness for olive oil producers, as well as ensuring quality for consumers."