# Shinkei Systems: AI Computer Vision & Robotic Automation for Aquaculture

> Computer vision and precision robotics platform automating humane fish processing and Ikejime quality control for sustainable aquaculture.

Source: https://authect.com/work/shinkei-systems

Automating humane fish harvesting through real-time computer vision, precision robotics, and Ikejime quality control.

Client: Shinkei Systems

What we did: Computer Vision Pipeline Engineering, Edge AI Deployment, Embedded Systems Programming, Hardware-Software Integration, Real-Time Signal Processing, Telemetry & Cloud Dashboard, UI/UX Operational Control System

Tech stack: Python, PyTorch / TensorFlow, C++, OpenCV, CUDA / TensorRT, React, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, AWS IoT Core

## Prologue

The global seafood industry faces critical challenges: labor shortages, severe product waste, and inconsistent quality stemming from traditional, manual harvest techniques. The traditional Japanese technique of Ikejime—which humanely paralyzes fish and bleeds them instantly—is universally recognized for maximizing freshness, shelf life, and taste, yet manual execution requires elite training and cannot scale commercially.

Shinkei Systems engineered an automated hardware and software platform that brings Japanese master-level harvesting to commercial fisheries and aquaculture farms at scale. Driven by high-speed edge computer vision and custom robotics, Shinkei's systems recognize species, map internal anatomy in real time, and perform precise, automated Ikejime processing in fractions of a second.

The result is a paradigm shift in marine food tech: eliminating cruelty, quadrupling fish shelf life, and significantly raising market values for local fishermen and commercial aquaculture operators globally.

## The challenge

Scaling precision biological processing at sea presents immense engineering and operational hurdles:

## Environmental Harshness & Vessel Motion
Deploying delicate optics and high-precision robotics onto commercial fishing vessels requires hardware capable of surviving saltwater corrosion, heavy vibration, pitch and roll motion, and extreme temperature fluctuations.

## High Morphological Variation
Unlike manufactured goods, every fish entering the pipeline varies in size, weight, curvature, and anatomical orientation. Computer vision algorithms must achieve sub-millimeter precision instantaneously despite motion and light distortion.

## Commercial Throughput Demands
Manual harvesting bottlenecks entire fishing operations. To be commercially viable for commercial fleets, an automated system must match or exceed human sorting and processing speed without sacrificing anatomical accuracy.

## Our solution

Shinkei Systems combined high-speed embedded robotics, custom neural networks, and rugged industrial engineering into a plug-and-play processing platform.

## Real-Time Biological Computer Vision
Shinkei developed proprietary machine-vision models trained on thousands of fish scans. The optical system identifies species, measures dimensions, and locates critical neurological target zones within milliseconds of entry.

## Sub-Millimeter Edge Robotics
Custom robotic actuators adapt dynamically to each fish’s unique geometry, executing precise, automated Ikejime puncture and bleeding without manual intervention.

## Maritime-Grade Ruggedized Architecture
The hardware unit is enclosed in IP67 water-resistant stainless steel built for deck installation, featuring low-power edge computing chips to execute real-time inference without needing cloud connectivity at sea.

## Fleet Telemetry & Quality Analytics
The platform logs catch data, species metrics, and quality scores to an integrated cloud dashboard, giving fishery managers complete visibility over yield quality and inventory valuations.

## Results

Shinkei Systems has set a new global standard for marine robotics and sustainable food processing.

## Industrial-Scale Throughput
Achieved sub-second processing speed per fish, enabling commercial vessels and land-based farms to automate full harvests at scale.

## Quadrupled Product Shelf Life
Standardizing the Ikejime method automatically reduced lactic acid buildup and spoilage, extending raw fish shelf life up to 400% for premium culinary distribution.

## Global Industry Acclaim
Recognized by major innovation awards, venture investors, and Michelin-starred culinary partners as a pioneering force in sustainable aquaculture tech.

## About Authect

- Authect is a founder-led software development studio: clients talk to the founders who build their project, never a salesperson.
- Every project is led by a senior engineer. Delivery is AI-accelerated, and an engineer reviews every line before it ships.
- Clients own their code, infrastructure and designs from day one, with no lock-in.
- Legal entity: AUTHECT - FZCO, Trade License No. 70505 (IFZA). Registered office: Building A1, Dubai Digital Park, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
- The team works in Dubai (Dubai Marina, Business Bay, Dubai Silicon Oasis) and in Spain (Madrid and Marbella), and works with partners in Lithuania.
- Clients across Europe, the Middle East and beyond; areas served include Dubai, Madrid, Marbella, Málaga, United Arab Emirates, Spain, Lithuania, Sweden, Norway, Denmark.
- Founders: Pranas Mickevicius (Chief Executive Officer), Oscar Arson Saiz (Chief Technology Officer).
- Cooperation models: fixed-price projects, monthly sprints, and support and evolution.
- Contact: info@authect.com, +971 50 246 5223, or https://authect.com/contact. A founder replies within one working day.
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