Since its early days, machine vision has been primarily used to check the liquid level in a bottle, or verify if a packaging label is applied correctly. A computer was able to compare a known good image to what the camera was currently “seeing” and then executed an action based on the Go/No-Go argument, therefore preventing items that had failed the test from moving further along the assembly line. In short, an important yet limited manufacturing function.
Today, however, even a cursory review of the trade press shows that machine vision has greatly expanded its horizons beyond the assembly line. While not as numerous as the omnipresent security cameras in our everyday lives, applications where machine vision cameras are being deployed have grown exponentially. For example, consider such diverse uses as the remote monitoring of hazardous locations, 3D mapping, agriculture, automated retail, or genome sequencing.