CALEB UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WIN HACKATHON WITH AI APP THAT DETECTS MANGO RIPENESS

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A group of Computer Science students from Caleb University has won the Hackathon Competition hosted by Bells University of Technology with their innovative software, Valor — an AI-powered tool designed to assess mango ripeness using advanced image processing and machine learning.

Nicknamed the “Smart, Bold, Brainy, Savvy, Mango Master,” Valor wowed the judges with its precise classification of mango ripeness.

In a statement released Thursday, the team explained that the app leverages computer vision and deep learning to solve a common agricultural issue — identifying ripe or spoiled mangoes — which often leads to unnecessary food waste and financial loss.

The winning team includes final-year Software and Computer Vision Engineer Harmony Abayomi, 400-level Data and AI Engineer Nwachukwu Chibuzor, and 400-level Data Analyst Efod Freda.

They noted that their drive came from a desire to minimize food waste and enhance the accuracy of fruit quality evaluation.

“Detecting ripeness and spoilage in mangoes remains a significant challenge. Overripe fruits lead to wastage and loss of value, while underripe ones fail to meet the expectations of consumers. Traditional methods like visual inspection are subjective and often unreliable,” the team said.

The Acting Vice Chancellor of Caleb University, Prof Sunday Adewale, hosted the winning team and praised their achievement.