Cameras, components and software traditionally are the dominant ingredients at the Vision, the world's leading exhibition for machine vision. But how does it all fit into a working system for the user? Themed "Vision 4.0 - Smart Vision for Smart Factories", in the inspect application forum leading suppliers will present their future-oriented solutions on the way to the industry 4.0.

The Internet of Things, 3D, Robotics, Embedded Vision - you do not have to be a prophet to predict that these will be some of the outstanding trend themes at this year's vision in Stuttgart. No wonder, therefore, that these topics are the main focus of the inspect application forum, which will be held for the second time after the successful 2014 premiere. The program of the forum, which is attended by high-profile experts from the industry, offers interesting highlights for "beginners" as well as for vision experts alike. Following is a small outlook on what visitors can expect in  altogether six lectures on specific topics.

Best Practice

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," says an old proverb. The first session is therefore aimed at potential users of industrial image processing systems, which may just be concerned with planning or the first steps. How to implement an idea into a secure and reliable solution? This is the first question to be asked by Ingmar Jahr, Head of Vision at Vision Academy, and from the point of view of a manufacturer of image processing components to demonstrate the support services that this project can achieve. Afterwards Steven King, Product Manager Machine Vision at Microscan, will outline the steps that manufacturing companies should take into consideration when integrating smart cameras and barcode readers in order to ensure a smooth integration into the Internet of Things.

3D Inspection

3D inspection systems are a key technology for efficient inline quality control. In the second session of the first day, Chi Ho Ng, Director of Product Management at LMI Technologies, will show how an intelligent inspection platform made of hardware and software can help to promote factory automation. Subsequently, Fredrik Sylvan, Strategic Product Manager at Sick, will use a new vision sensor to demonstrate how the additional third dimension can help to make inspection tasks even more flexible. Finally, Roger Schelbert, Head of Robotics & Image Processing at Credimex, will report on the use of 3D laser scanners in a closed-loop automation platform.

Automotive

Stuttgart can be safely referred to as the "motor city" of our time, at least it has long since taken the place of the original Detroit. On the second day of the inspect application forum, the focus is therefore on automotive applications. First, Dr. Özgür Tan, responsible for strategic product marketing, optical measurement systems at Polytec, will demonstrate the advantages of optical non-contact systems in surface measurement technology. Stefan Bertele, product manager at Matrix Vision, will then demonstrate how to use a self-learning smart camera and intuitive software to easily configure an image processing system in the production control without expert knowledge.

Robotics & Virtual Reality

After the lunch break, topics related to automated automotive production are on the agenda. Marc Burzlaff, Managing Director of EngRoTec-Solutions, will present the Robot Guidance Advanced System, which can be used to implement various scenarios in automotive assembly in a scalable manner. Thor Vollset, founder and CEO of Tordivel, will then use real application examples to demonstrate how robot guidance can be improved with the aid of 3D stereovision.
The second day will conclude with an exciting lecture on virtual reality. Dr. Vasant Desai and Maxim Larin, Co-Managing Directors of Ximea, will highlight the special requirements for capturing systems for VR applications.

Food & Beverage

The food industry is one of the industries where vision systems have been used successfully for a long time. Thursday morning is dedicated to this topic. Stefano Savino, Product Manager at Datalogic, will present a new inspection tool whose novel software algorithm ensures robust object recognition and sorting even under the most difficult conditions. Massimo Castelletti, Product Manager at Opto Engineering, also comes from Italy. He will show how the use of neural networks in image processing helps to master the special requirements in food production.

Embedded Vision

In the afternoon of the third day, developers of Embedded Vision systems particularly will enjoy the day. First, Dany Longval, Vice President, Worldwide Sales at Lumenera, will report on the benefits of Linux ARM systems in Embedded Vision platforms and their application, e.g. In the areas of UAV (drones) and ITS (traffic control). Thereafter, Christoph Wacker of DreamChip Technologies will deal with the experience of using a new Open CL SDK in the development of an embedded system for object and person recognition.
Stefan Basig, Managing Director of Compar, will then demonstrate how a new image processing platform supports the simple connectivity of actuators, sensors and systems as the basic prerequisite for the industry 4.0 at the end of the inspect application forum.

Networking at lunch time

The participation in the inspect application forum - on all three exhibition days, from 11 am to 2 pm - is possible for all visitors of the vision without prior registration and free of charge. The participants are registered directly on the spot. You can find the forum on the gallery in the east entrance to the exhibition - simply follow the escalator. In the adjoining inspect lounge, there will be free drinks and small snacks at lunch time, and participants are invited to  take part in the seminars and to networking.

The program can be downloaded via the link above and here as PDF.