IEN Europe: In 1997 IDS was founded and launched its first frame grabber for the industry. How many products are in your catalogue today and what are the main product categories you offer to customers?
Hartmann: We actually have around 5000 products in our portfolio.
Our product categories include 2D (area scan) and 3D cameras with different interfaces and capabilities, as well as an enormously wide selection of innovative image sensors (such as the event-based Sony Prophesee sensor IMX636) for a wide variety of applications. For even more scope, we also offer cameras with artificial intelligence (AI cameras) or with streaming and event recording feature (monitoring cameras).
Additionally, we not only supply self-configurable, modular cameras, but also develop custom cameras and, of course, also provide the appropriate software. These customised special developments are one of our strengths, which allow us to stand out from the international competition.
IEN Europe: AI vision is a relatively new area, so experts are rare. How do you ensure that the products are as easy to use as possible and that a broad range of users benefit from the advantages?
Hartmann: Usability is a key factor for the acceptance of AI in image processing. The development of an AI vision solution is primarily a question of data acquisition and labelling. This means that even users who are not classic image processing specialists can quickly achieve results. For this reason, we have designed the complete IDS NXT system to be as user-friendly as possible. All workflows are precisely coordinated: from capturing the training images to labelling, training a neural network at the touch of a button and execution on one of the IDS NXT camera models. The handling of the training images and the training take place in the cloud so that customers do not have to set up a development environment. At the same time, the system also offers professionals the opportunity to dive deeper and develop their own vision apps, for example. In addition, with DENKnet we can also offer the right solution for very demanding applications. This makes us an ‘enabler’ and AI partner for a wide variety of groups - from research to start-ups and SMEs to large corporations.
A new class of intelligent industrial cameras has emerged from the collaboration of IDS and Ambarella: our latest addition to the NXT ecosystem IDS NXT malibu combines perfect image quality with On-Camera AI, video compression and streaming. All this is performed directly in and output from the camera. IDS is the first company to offer this special chip - previously known from action cameras - for use in industrial applications. Consumer technology meets industrial expertise!
IEN Europe: It took you from 1997 to 2018 to deliver the first million industrial cameras and you are now approaching the 2 million mark. Looking to the future, when do you expect to reach the third million? And what is the next big technology trend you see in machine vision?
Hartmann: We are aiming for further growth and are focusing on clearly shortening the time between the next million in future. Our credo and secret of success is certainly, that we make existing technology industry-ready, i.e. we anticipate technology trends from the consumer sector and make them suitable for industrial use, such as the app-based concept of the intelligent IDS NXT cameras mentioned above and our industrial monitoring cameras uEye live.
The next big technology trends in machine vision are likely to be edge AI and vision, event-based vision and lightweight and embedded 3D vision - whether for robotics and automation or with regard to sustainability issues such as precision agriculture or environmental monitoring. Furthermore, we are deeply convinced that access to new technologies must become increasingly easier for users.
IEN Europe: The Vision Channel on your website is an interesting section. Could you please briefly explain to the readers what you offer there?
Hartmann: "Knowledge increases when it is shared" – following this maxim, IDS is making its expertise as one of the leading manufacturers of digital industrial cameras available free of charge and directly accessible on this platform. The monthly online events and how-to videos are short, focused and interesting for both beginners and experts. Moreover, the IDS Vision Channel also offers a media library with recordings of past events and additional, exclusive content such as handouts and source-code samples. The online sessions address image processing topics around 2D, 3D and embedded vision as well as artificial intelligence. Afterwards, questions can be discussed in the group or with the speakers from a wide range of disciplines at IDS. Beyond that, we involve guests from technology partners or start-ups. The experts are available to answer questions during and after the online sessions. In short: We bring our specialists conveniently on the screen. Participants can choose suitable events from a wide range of topics and receive tips and tricks for their own applications.
IEN Europe: Thank you for sharing these insights!
