🦾 Pioneering Visionaries: Zivid and Inbolt's Perspectives on 3D Vision
This interview delves into Zivid's 3D vision technology, spotlighting its role in boosting Inbolt's GuideNOW High Precision system for precise small part localization.
INBOLT : Could you walk us through the unique features and capabilities of your technology? How do they differentiate from other solutions in the market?
ZIVID : 3D vision has been solved in a variety of ways with stereo camera, active stereo, time of light, and structured light for some examples. The demands on these cameras are as varied as there are applications. At Zivid our goal is focusing on providing a pure play camera that can provide high fidelity point clouds across as many of these cameras as possible, a swiss army knife type of device.
INBOLT : How do you approach innovation within your product development processes?
ZIVID : When we identified the need for capturing 3D data on transparent objects in eCommerce and intra-logistics, we saw it as an opportunity rather than a barrier. Despite the taboo surrounding transparency in 3D imaging, we embraced the challenge with determination. This is the mindset we use across our entire organization, doing our best to make what feels impossible, possible.
INBOLT : Are there new markets or applications you’re interested in exploring?
ZIVID : Our exploration of new markets and applications is guided by a customer-centric approach and a commitment to innovation. We prioritize customer feedback and strive for our products to not only meet but exceed expectations.
While we're not aiming to be the biggest or the most inexpensive company, our integrity lies in our dedication to providing revolutionary technology that addresses our customers' most pressing challenges. We believe that by prioritizing our customers' success, we simultaneously drive Zivid forward in our pursuit to innovate and enhance our products and user experience.
INBOLT : What are some of the benefits of GuideNOW High Precision?
ZIVID : GuideNOW is an impressive application that takes advantage of the benefits of robot-mounted 3D camera solutions. When you mount your 3D camera onto your robot you have just given your robot the freedom to see anything within its reach. Now it can look at multiple scenes in its working area, or the same scene from multiple angles, which is the cornerstone of robot guidance applications. Zivid 2+ cameras are small robust packages perfectly suited for robot mounted applications. Being able to see from any angle and use that data is exactly what GuideNOW does.
Additionally, we really like that GuideNOW is such a flexible system. Anyone can set up the system and new workpiece references in less than 30 minutes using the built-in CAD model-based programming software, GuideNOW Studio. The technology enhances robotic installation flexibility by reducing the need for custom tooling, allowing for fast production changeovers and reduced tooling costs. Ease-of-use is important for us at Zivid. We are super happy to be part of your robot guidance solution with the Zivid 2+ M60!
Find the full interview here.
ZIVID : And you recently added the Zivid to your 3D camera arsenal, can you tell us a little bit about your journey?
INBOLT : It's true, we have expanded our toolkit by integrating the Zivid camera to our portfolio. Initially, the release of GuideNOW Real Time with the Realsense camera provided an accessible entry point into 3D imaging due to its affordability, good documentation, community support, and decent point cloud quality for various applications. However, we encountered limitations regarding its precision, particularly with challenging scenarios involving small, thin, or highly reflective components.
The introduction of a structured light camera like the Zivid 2+ M60 significantly enhanced our point cloud accuracy, allowing us to broaden our application spectrum and address new use cases. When we created GuideNOW, we always knew we wanted to be able to respond to as many manufacturing use cases as possible. Having GuideNOW Real Time for our dynamic real time processes, and GuideNOW High Precision for our static, small and precise processes allows us to do that. Both complement our ability to locate the position and orientation of a part by comparing its CAD model to the 3D data from the camera.
ZIVID : What projects have you been able to unlock with GuideNOW High Precision?
INBOLT : GuideNOW High Precision has allowed us to venture into more sophisticated projects, particularly those that necessitate precise 3D imaging.
Our primary focus has been on bin-picking applications, where the superior point cloud quality of Zivid significantly contributes to more effective object recognition and manipulation in the use cases we’ve been working on. Zivid's heightened precision is particularly beneficial for identifying and handling smaller objects, those with dimensions less than 10x10x10 cm, a domain where we anticipate developing specific projects for in the future.
The enhanced point cloud accuracy has enabled more repeatable processes in some of our pilot projects, achieving accuracies under 0.5mm. And while still in the exploratory phase, we have noticed promising improvements in localizing reflective components.
This integration represents an extension rather than a transition, as GuideNOW Real Time continues to excel in scenarios currently unsuitable for our High Precision applications, such as dynamic processes on moving lines. Our goal has always been to be able to create a vision system for industrial robots that enables robust real time decision making for any type of environment. We’d really love to offer dynamic high precision in the future!
Answers by Øyvind Theie, VP of Products at Zivid
Answers by Louis Dumas, CTO at Inbolt