The adoption of machine vision technology will see a significant rise in 2021
Machine vision is typically the ability to provide an imaging-based inspection to machines. It enables industrial tools and robots to complete tasks such as manufacturing and quality verification. As a key element of industry 4.0, machine vision techniques help industrial automation systems by bolstering efficiency, improving inventory and identifying faulty products, eventually improving manufacturing quality. This technology underpins numerous emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics and smart glasses. It is also estimated to reach a near 100 million installed bases by 2025.
Machine vision technology is having a substantial impact on the manufacturing and industrial sectors. Now as the industry entered the new era of digitization, this technology is expected to deliver much more promise for companies.
Here are the top 10 machine vision trends predicted to dominate in 2021.
Embedded Vision
Embedded vision coalesces image capture and processing capabilities into a single device. This machine vision breakthrough has found its way into a broad range of industrial applications such as inspection and sorting systems. Manufacturers have even leveraged embedded vision techniques into products like driverless vehicles, autonomous drones, and smartphones.
Vision Guided Robotics
The demand for vision-guided robotics (VGR) will significantly witness considerable growth as it provides more intelligent and quicker 3D measurement and guidance support. It can also address an aging population and rising labor costs by performing tasks as same as human workers do.
Demand for 3D Inspection
Conventional inspection methods provide inspection and measurement in two-dimensional form. This restrains users in accessing data and analyzing part structures with confidence, as the resulting data is restricted to a flat 2D x-ray image. Growing demand for higher quality inspection in diverse industrial verticals is driving the adoption of 3D imaging-based inspection systems. A 3D inspection system can observe, inspect, and scrutinize objects with a depth of field, and deliver accurate, real-time 3D position information to improve application performance.
Heightened Use of SWIR Cameras
Short-wave infrared (SWIR) technology refers to visible light in that photons reflected or absorbed by an object that provide the strong contrast needed for higher resolution imaging. With advances in sensor technology, the use of SWIR cameras is increasing in applications such as silicon inspection, laser beam profiling, hyperspectral imaging, chemical and plastics sensing, and medical imaging. The SWIR imaging covers the wavelength range from 900nm to 1700nm.
Integration of CoaXPress v2.0
The integration of CoaXPress v2.0, the latest version of the CoaXPress vision interface, will be more leveraged by system integrators. This is majorly because its cable bandwidth has been doubled the previous generation to 10 Gbps and 12.5 Gbps per link and set to become the de facto standard for high-speed machine vision interfaces. CXP v2.0 is being rapidly integrated into aerospace and intelligent traffic monitoring as these industries have long relied upon Coaxial cable.
Rise of Liquid Lenses
Liquid lenses offer a wide range of benefits over traditional lenses in industrial applications. Like conventional optical lenses, liquid lenses are single optical elements but are composed of an optical liquid material that can change its shape. As liquid lenses have recently moved beyond smart sensors and smart cameras, they are used in a variety of applications including digital photography, industrial data capture, barcode reading, biometric data acquisition, and more.
Thermal Imaging
Thermal imaging is a powerful remote sensing technique that is being used for security, public safety and defense. This imaging system simply refers to the process of converting infrared radiation into visible images that illustrate the spatial distribution of temperature differences in a scene viewed by a thermal camera. A thermal imaging-powered machine vision system measures the temperature or the emissions from the given process remotely.
Improving AR and VR Capabilities
AR and VR technologies are far-reaching beyond their potential use for video games and entertainment and being used for real-time instructions, training workers and much more Machine vision is advancing the capabilities of AR and VR to the next level in the pursuit of more realistic virtual restorations of reality.
Enhanced Supply Chain Visibility
Machine vision in the supply chain is emerging as a transformational technology providing efficient, automated outbound logistics verification. It helps lessen operational costs and boost profitability through zero shipping errors and maximize process efficiency through automated data capture. While increasing supply chain visibility is a continuous process, manufacturers and shipping companies are expected to leverage machine vision techniques in the years ahead.
Quality Analysis
Machine Vision systems integrate image processing with industrial automation. These systems can provide a fast, economic and reliable inspection that improves quality as well as business productivity. Tasks performed by a machine vision system can include processes such as image acquisition, processing or analysis, and recognition.
