Practical, exciting and full of entertainment is the accompanying programme of events lined up for Vision 2010, the world's leading trade fair for machine vision which is taking place from 9 to 11 November in the modern exhibition halls of Messe Stuttgart. Football robots will be making an appearance, fitted with intelligent cameras and pitted against each other in a game of "two against two" or during penalty shoot-outs. Looking after the autonomous robotic footballers will be Eindhoven University's "Tech United" team who won the last RoboCup German Open in Magdeburg and took second place in the Middle Size League at the RoboCup 2010 world championships in Singapore. The robotic footballers developed by "Tech United" are able to see thanks to the 1 GHz camera VC4458 from Vision Components. The smart cameras are fitted at an upwards-facing angle and enable a 360 degree view, allowing the robots to keep their eye on the ball. Intelligent algorithms ensure that clever playing tactics are employed, something which has helped the team to reach the final many a time. In this way, Vision Components and a series of sponsors are making it possible for trade fair visitors to experience machine vision in a fun and entertaining way.

Also providing a hands-on demonstration of machine vision are the "Partners for Vision" with the Vision Application Park. This will be its third time featured at Vision, this year with a completely new theme. Organised by Vereinigte Fachverlage GmbH, more than 30 partners have come together to playfully present the indispensable role played by machine vision in production process testing procedures to ensure the end customer receives a top quality product. And this on 200 square metres of exhibition space using Playmobil figures. The figures will run the realistic gauntlet of quality assurance and machine vision, from the order placement to the different testing procedures to the packaging stage.

A real visitor magnet at Vision in previous years was always the Industrial Vision Days. It will be taking place again this year, hosting top-quality specialist talks organised by VDMA Machine Vision. A particular highlight will be the expert discussion round, organised by the trade journal INSPECT. The innovative theme of "Green Vision - Driving Factor for a Green Future" will be the topic addressed. Experts will be showing visitors how machine vision contributes to protecting the environment, conserving resources, increasing energy efficiency, developing environmentally friendly products and generally providing for a "green future". The expert discussion round will take place on the second day of the trade fair from 14.00 to 15.00.

The variety provided by Vision 2010's accompanying programme is seen in the many interesting events taking place: the "Integration Area" as a presentation platform for system solutions, the 18th Vision Award as the "award for applied machine vision", the special show "International Machine Vision Standards", the joint stand for young companies from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi), the beginners seminar Vision Academy, the first appearance of the "Career Center" for professional advice and the "Job Board" containing current job offers.

The year-long experience enjoyed by Vision has resulted from the support of numerous national and international partners, as well as an integral concept which has developed from the high-technology exhibition and the supplementary, highly topical and informative accompanying programme of events. The high technology exhibition features innovative camera systems, vision sensors, frame grabbers, illumination, lasers, optics/lenses, optical filters, accessories, software libraries, application-specific machine vision systems, configurable machine vision systems, as well as complete solutions and services.