Scorpion Vision have introduced the 3D Stinger Camera to the UK manufacturing industry, providing production lines with a superior 3D imaging system.
Thanks to technology developed by Tordivel AS of Oslo, Scorpion Vision's 3D Stinger Camera enables production-line robots to see with almost human-like vision; as they can distinguish the exact height, depth and sizes of products on a manufacturing line, sending information to the robot to adjust where the picking arm goes accordingly. Unlike other 3D vision systems on the market, the camera also uses ground-breaking technology to process images in real-time as the camera is not required to scan whole areas at a time to detect products moving along the production line. This means that the total cycle time is only dictated by how fast the robot can pick.
"Many of the 3D vision systems developed by our competitors are required to scan a whole area before the action required by the robot can be processed," Paul Wilson of Scorpion Vison said. "This can eat up valuable seconds. However, we have developed a system which works in real-time; constantly updating the image in the field of view. As such, it can work to the top speeds of any robot."
Thanks to the system's real-time capabilities, the camera is also able to instantly detect if something moves into the field of view and send new picking co-ordinates to the robot, avoiding any unexpected malfunctions due to foreign items in the robots path.
The system can be installed to work with any robot system and can be used in a variety of manufacturing sectors including; food, automotive and heavy industries.
"The 3D Stinger Camera's advanced capabilities means that it is ideal for use in all production lines," Wilson added. "For example, the camera has been used to pick and package sausages of different sizes for a client within the food industry but has also been used to sort shards of metal for a heavy industry client."