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SmartMint

Detecting valuable coins amongst thousands of coins

In collaboration with the Melbourne Mint, UQ SmartCampus is currently developing a smart device to detect valuable coins amongst the coins in circulation in Australia. Coin imperfections such as incorrectly pressed coins, coins struck the same on both sides and coins that are missing a piece are very valuable and can attract thousands of dollars from collectors. Using image recognition and machine learning technology, the machine will be able to distinguish valuable coins from normal coins at a rate of thousands of coins per hour.

The vault — Students Shaheer Adnan and Hankun Cui in the mint's high security vault.

Hankun with 1kg of gold — Student Hankun Cui at the mint holding a 1kg gold bar worth $66,000.

This project is being undertaken by UQ ITEE students Hankun Cui (hardware) and Shaheer Adnan (software) under the supervision of Dr Alex Pudmenzky.