Once again, the jury of the inspect award 2022 nominated ten products from dozens of submissions with many exciting innovations, and now, together with the readers of inspect, selected three winners in each category. The awards were presented at the Vision 2022 trade show.

1st place in the Vision category: Edmund Optics with the athermal imaging lenses

Edmund Optics' athermal imaging lenses offer MTF performance of >20 percent contrast up to a resolution of 200 lp/mm, corresponding to 2.5 µm pixels. Imaging quality is maintained over the entire maximum image circle (17.6 mm, 1.1-inch format, 24 MP) and over the entire temperature range of -10 to 50 °C without the need for focusing adjustments. At the same time, the optomechanics are designed to be robust against mechanical shock and vibration. The lenses are designed for demanding applications, including in particular terrestrial aerospace imaging.

2nd place in the Vision category: Baumer with the freely programmable AX smart cameras

Baumer's freely programmable AX smart cameras combine robust industrial camera quality, Nvidia Jetson AI modules and Sony CMOS sensors to create a freely programmable image processing platform for vision-at-the-edge and AI applications. Based on Linux, the GenICam-compatible all-in-one devices support any programming language and enable the use of various image processing libraries and application programming interfaces (APIs). A separate PC for image processing can be completely dispensed with. This provides users with a fast and simple solution for AI and image processing in industrial environments.

3rd place in the Vision category: Nerian with the Scarlet 3D stereo camera

The Scarlet 3D stereo camera from Nerian Vision combines a 3D camera and image processing system in one device. Whether for static environments or hard and critical real-time applications in dynamic environments, the camera delivers exactly the image and depth data needed for numerous machine vision applications. Specifically, this means passive stereo vision at up to 120 frames per second, with over 70 million 3D points per second. The depth camera can achieve up to 5 MP resolution for the camera image and 3D depth map. The device was primarily developed for applications in agricultural robotics, bin picking, pick and place, and autonomous vehicles.

1st place in the Automation & Control category: Comet Yxlon with the UX50 CT x-ray inspection system

The Comet Yxlon UX50 is a robust, 450 kV CT system for inspecting large and dense components in the production environment. With its large inspection area, possible equipment with flat and/or line detector and various measuring circuit extensions, it offers a high level of application versatility. Operation via the Geminy software platform supports users with different levels of prior knowledge and reduces training time. Direct switching between DR and CT and motorized switching of detectors at the push of a button within a test sequence enables time-saving, targeted hybrid testing. The simple creation of test programs is the basis for series testing.

2nd place in the Automation & Control category: Opto with the imaging module 'profile M'

Opto's Profile M inverted microscope is purely digital and designed for microfluidic tasks as well as automation of biomedical evaluations. Implemented in a plug&play imaging module with USB3.1 or GigE interface and a LED transmitted light condenser. With 5x, 10x, 20x variants in monochrome or color, the module is designed for scanning slides in histopathology and flow cytometry. Optoviewer 2.0 software for module control and simple documentation or measurement tasks is included. It can be programmed and integrated into Labview. Own plugin algorithms enable common automations.

3rd place in the Automation & Control category: Octum with the vial.inspect

Octum has developed the Vial.Inspect series of inspection systems to check injection vials for proper condition before filling. This ensures that the rare vaccine is only filled into undamaged and uncontaminated vials, which reduces the reject rate. After filling, the systems check that the vials have been properly sealed and printed to ensure 100 percent traceability. In the further development of this entire product series, the focus was on maximizing the possible production cycle. It is now possible to reliably check up to 600 vials per minute.