Cognex appoints senior director of vision-sensors business unit

MARCH 16--Cognex (Natick, MA, USA; www.cognex.com), a supplier of machine-vision sensors and systems, has appointed Pascal Dorster as senior director of in-vehicle vision sensors. Dorster will oversee development and marketing of Cognex vision products that are designed specifically for use inside vehicles, where they will enhance safety by providing automated assistance to drivers. Dorster will report to Cognex president James F. Hoffmaster.

Using CMOS sensors, digital-signal processors, and Cognex-developed vision software, these sophisticated in-vehicle sensors can continuously monitor the space surrounding a vehicle (in front, in back, and to both sides) and provide immediate feedback to drivers when a potentially dangerous condition exists. For example, Cognex's SafeTRAC sensor analyzes the road ahead and warns the driver when his vehicle is likely to cross into another lane unintentionally.

"For many years, the application of machine vision to vehicles has been just an interesting research topic; but recently, automobile manufacturers in Europe and Japan have started to introduce vehicles with vision sensors to aid drivers and enhance safety," said Robert J. Shillman, Cognex chairman and CEO. "Although we expect that it will take many years for these sensors to be deployed in large numbers, the market potential is enormous. Because of that, Cognex recently entered the in-vehicle market with the acquisition of AssistWare Technology, a privately held developer of lane-departure warning systems for heavy trucks."

Dorster joins Cognex after 12 years in positions at Texas Instruments (TI). He most recently served at its Houston DSP headquarters as business manager in charge of increasing TI's market share for DSPs in new applications including in-vehicle vision, video surveillance, and video conferencing.