Geodetic Systems receives order for a V-STARS/S8 photogrammetry system
JUNE 8--Geodetic Systems Inc. (GSI; Melbourne, FL; www.geodetic.com), a provider of portable three-dimensional (3-D) coordinate measurement systems, announced that the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL; Pasadena, CA; eis.jpl.nasa.gov/qa/Optical_Metrology) has purchased a V-STARS/S8 photogrammetry system for its Optical Metrology Services group, which functions within the Quality Assurance organization to support flight and ground-support operations for the entire laboratory. The JPL is NASA's main center for robotic exploration of the solar system.
The GSI V-STARS photogrammetry systems are used for 3-D coordinate measurement and inspection applications in diverse industries such as aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding, power generation, and more. Geodetic Systems is a solution provider in the field of 3-D digital imaging and industrial photogrammetry and reportedly the only company offering this technology for industrial measurement based in the Americas.
V-STARS will be used by the JPL Optical Metrology Services, which uses optical measurement processes to meet the metrology needs of JPL projects. The new industrial measurement system will augment the JPL's existing 3-D metrology capabilities and allow for a new level of noncontact measurement. The photogrammetry system is targeted for use on deep-space-network hardware and antennas, as well as other flight hardware for future NASA projects. V-STARS is particularly well suited for in-place measurement and inspection of large objects and for usage in harsh shop-floor conditions and unstable environments. The photogrammetry solution will be used for a variety of engineering tasks at the JPL, such as measurement, inspection, alignment, design verification, and research and development.
The VSTARS/S8 system is comprised of a state-of-the-art INCA3 camera with wireless connectivity, a notebook computer loaded with V-STARS 3-D digital imaging software, and various accessories including a PRO-SPOT target projector. The system is extremely easy to use. The INCA3 photogrammetric camera captures photos via hand-held operation or remote control and sends the data via wireless connectivity to a laptop computer. The V-STARS software automatically inspects the collected digital images and extracts the required 3-D data. After processing, the 3-D data can be aligned into a coordinate system, compared to previous measurements, or analyzed further.
The PRO-SPOT accessory will provide the JPL with extended measurement capacity. This unique projector system casts thousands of light points (called targets) onto the surface of the object being measured. The PRO-SPOT makes fast, dense, accurate, noncontact measurements on large surfaces such as antennas, molds, master models, and other components.
The portability and adaptability of V-STARS provides additional benefits. The entire industrial measurement solution can be carried onboard an airplane or checked as standard baggage to go from factory floor to factory floor, or anywhere in the world. The INCA3 camera is designed to work in very demanding industrial environments, where conditions such as vibration, movement, and temperature variation are often found. INCA3 operators can rapidly shoot field measurements without imposing downtime for others working concurrently on a large assembly.