A “Machine Vision Knowledge Center”

I’m not quite sure what the “Machine Vision Knowledge Center,” described in outline terms on the website of Coherix Inc., will do but it sounds like a Very Good Thing. I’m just a little disappointed that it’s going to be in Malaysia. I realize that’s good for the natives of that country, and it demonstrates that they have a forward-thinking, technologically-literate leadership, but I wonder why we don’t have one in the USA.

If asked for my thoughts on just what such a center should do, I’d propose the following mission:
To be an information clearing house that will facilitate the advancement and deployment of machine vision technology through the coordination of research and the provision of practical information to technology users.

A charter like this would enable the “North American Machine Vision Knowledge Center” to steer research bodies towards real-world problems while simultaneously consulting with end-users and integrators on cost-effective implementations.

Perhaps the AIA should establish such an operation.

On a separate note, I suggest you take the opportunity to learn more about Coherix. Founded by Dwight Carlson, (who also launched Perceptron,) Coherix is carving out an interesting niche in the field of 3D surface measurement and defect detection. It’s not your run-of-the-mill machine vision, but it may be an interesting solution for more challenging inspection tasks.