A new photonic standard component for3D sensing

ended

Automation of industrial production promises cost savings, quality assurance and the avoidance of inhumane working conditions in industrial production plants. But despite technological developments over the past 40 years, many industrial tasks remain, where the automation industry is still struggling. Modern sensor technologies, in particular photonic machine vision sensors, offer solution potential. And while traditional vision sensors only provide 2D information, several approaches have been developed to record 3D. But even with state of the art 3D sensors, the human eye cannot be replaced in many cases due to the complexity of products, materials, lighting conditions and shortcomings of existing technology making automation impossible. Our patented light-field lens technology will address such flaws. It is small, video-capable, compatible with existing technology, robust even in complex lighting conditions and precise. The hardware is a new optical component (the K|Lens) which can be used with any standard camera and any main lens turning the system automatically into a 3D system. The software is based on latest research results in the areas of computer vision and machine learning. With this application, we want to fund the development of a first portfolio of prototypes covering the key potential of our technology. For this purpose, the three most promising application areas with high upscale potential have been identified during a feasibility analysis under SME Instrument Phase 1. The project is planned in close collaboration with market leading cooperation partners making sure that our products fit customer requirements and that an immediate upscale potential is guaranteed through the market position of our partners. The development of our business model will evolve through three stages. In the long term, this will allow us to transform our company into a highly scalable component provider and a leader in the deployment of 3D photonics technologies in Europe.