Getting started in machine vision

Ten years ago I used to see a lot of “How to do your first machine vision project” types of articles in magazines and on web sites, but these days they seem rather few and far between. I suppose that’s a sign of how the machine vision industry is maturing: it’s becoming just another tool rather than a “when all else fails” last resort. That said, I have to believe there are still engineers out there about to undertake their first vision project.

For such “newbies” Matrox have posted a paper, “How to Plan Your First Vision System” on the AIA web site. It’s not a bad effort though for my money it tries to cover too much ground in too short a space.

A better start point might be the free “Fundamentals of Machine Vision” course that Perry West provides on the web site of his consulting business Automated Vision Systems, Inc. You will need to register, and it is of course a hook to lure you in to their consulting services, but I’m sure you’re smart enough to understand that.

It might also be worth me explaining what makes Perry such a good source. Perry has been working with machine vision since the dawning of the industry. He understands the fundamentals and he knows how to apply the technology. In short Perry West is machine vision, so his course is worth taking.