Next-gen sensor technology that lets robots see the 3D world in motion

The aspect of motion, especially random motion, has been on the radar of experts in machine vision – which enables industrial components that are able to see what they’re doing – for a couple of years now as one of their biggest challenges. Equipping robots with vision technology that would give them a 3D view of the world with all its dynamics isn’t a simple task.

Let’s have a look at why there is a need in the first place to equip robots with 3D vision that can capture random motion.

Applications that rely on 3D scanning in motion

Most modern industrial applications require technologies that enable robots to see, understand and act according to what they perceive in the three-dimensional space. The ability to react to the surrounding environment and make decisions is crucial. Through the combination of 3D vision and AI, a robot can recognise various types of objects, navigate to them, pick them and sort them based on specific criteria. But some applications can be even more arduous.

The task gets more challenging if a robot needs to recognise and handle objects that are moving in a random and unpredictable manner. And the demand for such applications is rapidly increasing. Let’s have a look at some examples.

Imagine a facility where freshly caught fish of different species needs to be sorted. The fish are placed on a moving conveyor belt that transports them to a vision-guided robot. The role of the robot is to recognise each fish type and sort it based on 3D data and colour information. The challenging factor is not only the fact that the fish are moving on the conveyor but also that their slimy bodies cause additional, unpredictable movement when sliding on the belt.

Automation is also widely used in the wood industry, where large and heavy logs need to be milled and cut into identical planks and smaller pieces. Here again, conveyor belts are the arteries of an automated sawmill. Logs are placed onto moving conveyors to be transported to a 3D vision-guided robot equipped with a chainsaw or other wood processing tool. First, each log needs to be 3D scanned so the robot knows exactly where and how to cut based on the X, Y and Z coordinates received from the machine vision system. To prevent logs from vibrating on the conveyor and thus allow a high-quality 3D image acquisition without motion artifacts, costly hydraulic systems often need to be used to hold the logs in place.

3D vision can also be used to scan the human body and generate a detailed 3D model. The 3D scans of the whole body or a specific body part can be used in the medical industry for high-precision surgery or, in sports, for the analysis of body movements and performance improvement. Though the demand for such application solutions is increasing, standard area-scan 3D vision technologies cannot provide satisfactory 3D data if the scanned object moves.