RFID in Japan

KIS tried to develop an innovative Sushi tracking system for Japanese Kaiten Sushi Restaurants using RFID and Computer Vision.

According to the report published on their web site,
KIS's system was unique in that it used plate-embedded RFID tags to track how many plates were on a conveyor belt and how many were eaten by customers (unlike similar systems that use plate-embedded RFID for facilitating the payment process). The system uses the computer vision technology to recognize which kind of Sushi is on which plate and also make sure that plates don't stay on the belt too long.

Based on the captured data, the system instructs the chefs when, how many and what kind of Sushi they should make.
This "supply chain system" even automatically discards tired Sushi that traveled on the belt for a long time.

The system unfortunately failed because it could not significantly reduce the number of wasted Sushi as their clients (i.e., restaurants) expected. Also, the vision system was not 100% accurate, which their clients considered as a negative factor. (Surprisingly, they say Salmon could be recognized with the accuracy of 100%. )