Neurogica Passes the Screening Round of NEDO Challenge, Baggage-Loading Robot: Contest 1 (Baggage Identification)
Our proposal has passed the screening round of Contest 1 (Baggage Identification) in the prize-based program "Technology Development for Improving Airport Ground Handling Productivity / NEDO Challenge, Baggage-Loading Robot," operated by Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Neurogica is one of the seven companies that passed the screening and was selected as a prize candidate.
About Contest 1: Baggage Identification
NEDO Challenge, Baggage-Loading Robot is a prize program aiming to create new robotics technology for baggage loading, one of the most labor-intensive tasks in airport ground handling, through three contests: baggage identification, loading algorithms, and loading robots (official site).
Contest 1 covers the identification stage at the entrance of the system, ahead of loading. Baggage of widely varying shapes, materials, and sizes, from hard suitcases to soft fabric bags and cardboard boxes, flows continuously along the baggage handling system. Every item must be identified instantly without stopping that flow. The task also requires semantic judgment, such as excluding tags and keychains from dimensional measurements, which is difficult to achieve with conventional measurement technology alone.
Our Approach: A High-Precision Baggage Identification Platform Powered by State-of-the-Art AI
As an AI research and development company specializing in computer vision, Neurogica approaches this problem by combining the latest image-recognition AI (3D and video foundation models) with multi-view geometric measurement. We aim to build an identification platform that is accurate yet inexpensive to deploy, with precise measurements that exclude tags and other attachments, and a confidence score attached to every judgment. Beyond airports, we also see applications in the broader logistics field.
The list of companies that passed the screening round is available on the NEDO official site.
Partnership with LTS, Inc.
This project is carried out in partnership with LTS, Inc., which brings its business transformation expertise to operational requirements design and commercialization planning. Neurogica also participates in the consortium led by LTS for Contest 3 (Loading Robot), enabling consistent technical collaboration from identification through to loading.
Looking Ahead
According to NEDO, the development and mentoring period runs through December 2026 (planned), with the contest and winner announcement in January 2027 (planned). We will share further updates on this site.