Over the past few years, I’ve written quite a bit about embedded vision and how its impact on manufacturing automation is increasing dramatically as the cost of vision systems comes down. (See list at bottom of this article with links to my recent posts embedded vision and its impact on robotics, inspection and automation in general.)
This greater use of and increased interest in vision brings with it a greater need for education on embedded vision technologies and applications. The most prominent, independent source of education resources on embedded vision that I am aware of is the Embedded Vision Alliance.
The Embedded Vision Alliance is a worldwide organization of technology developers and providers working “to empower engineers to transform the potential [for embedded vision technologies] into reality,” says Brian Dipert, editor-in-chief of the Embedded Vision Alliance. “The Alliance's mission is to provide engineers with practical education, information, and insights to help them incorporate embedded vision capabilities into new and existing products. To execute this mission, the Alliance’s website provides tutorial articles, videos, code downloads and a discussion forum staffed by technology experts.”
Companies such as Bluetechnix, National Instruments and Xilinx, are members of the Embedded Vision Alliance.
To help broaden the understanding of embedded vision systems and the increasingly important role they are playing in manufacturing, Dipert explains that “an embedded system is any microprocessor-based system that isn’t a general-purpose computer. Embedded vision, therefore, refers to the implementation of computer vision technology in embedded systems, mobile devices, special-purpose PCs, and the cloud, with industrial automation implementations being one showcase application. Embedded vision processing can add helpful features to existing products. And it can provide significant new markets for hardware, software and semiconductor manufacturers.”
The Embedded Vision Alliance offers a free online training facility for embedded vision product developers: the Embedded Vision Academy. “This area of the Alliance website provides in-depth technical training and other resources to help engineers integrate visual intelligence into next-generation embedded and consumer devices,” says Dipert. “Course material in the Embedded Vision Academy spans a wide range of vision-related subjects, from basic vision algorithms to image pre-processing, image sensor interfaces, and software development techniques and tools such as OpenCV.”
Access to the Embedded Vision Academy is free after completion of a basic registration form that also allows you to opt-in to receive the Alliance’s twice-monthly newsletter.
The Embedded Vision Alliance will hold its fourth Embedded Vision Summit Thursday, May 29, 2014, in Santa Clara, California. Embedded Vision Summits are technical educational forums for engineers interested in incorporating visual intelligence into electronic systems and software.
Other recent articles on embedded vision technologies in industrial applications:
• The Coming Age of Vision Guided Robots
• How Vision is Becoming More Viable for Automation
