Lush Life

In a land of rapidly changing weather conditions, the population is forced to adapt quickly to inclement weather. This was the general theme at the recent European Machine Vision Association (EMVA) annual meeting held in Dublin, Ireland, in mid-May. While a rain of dismal business news filled the air, most of the discussions centered on rapidly adapting to changing economic conditions.

The unsettling 2009 forecast from the German VDMA (Engineering Federation) machine-vision group predicts a 30% decline in machine-vision business in Germany and a 22% decline in the rest of Europe. This unwelcome news surprised no one, especially those involved in factory automation and in automotive manufacturing in particular. Indeed, many representatives of the companies attending the meeting said they had already adjusted or incorporated such forecasts into their plans. While many are choosing to diversify into nontraditional machine-vision markets, others are increasing their focus on healthier markets such as food, solar, biomedical, and pharmaceuticals.

In one of the presentations at the meeting, Wim Veen, a professor at TU Delft University, sought to enlighten the generally senior representatives of the machine-vision industry with the attitudes and behavior patterns of potential young employees. Veen called them “homo zappiens” to emphasize their digital—and even virtual reality—bias, and he pointed to their nonlinear approach to thinking and working, their multitasking, and their preference for collaboration.

Such traits should prove valuable for companies in the machine-vision industry, which is constantly developing new technologies and creative applications. As Paul Whelan of Dublin City University highlighted in his presentation, the era of academic papers relating to machine vision peaked in the 1990s. The focus has shifted to applications, representing a change from a theoretical computer-science-based industry to one based more on applications engineering.

In this issue, the creative application of machine-vision technology is highlighted in our cover story by editor Andy Wilson, who describes how CAD-based software now enables system designers to model and simulate virtual vision systems before they are deployed. In his Product Focus article, Wilson examines the potential opportunities made possible by a new generation of LEDs that span the UV to IR spectra.

This issue also features how to compensate for display artifacts, new scene awareness products for security and surveillance systems, and the forthcoming Power-over-Camera-Link Lite standard. In factories, machine-vision systems using OEM cameras, frame grabbers, lighting, and software are reading barcodes within packing cartons and sealing the seams of automobiles.

It’s still a rich environment for the machine-vision industry and the technology. By employing nonlinear thinking, multitasking, and collaboration, we may enjoy the view better when the weather breaks.

W. Conard Holton,
Editor in Chief
[email protected]