Imec and Ximea partner to introduce hyperspectral imaging
Imec and Ximea launch an industrial-grade hyperspectral camera for machine vision applications. The partners say that the camera paves the way to full industrial adoption of video rate hyperspectral imaging.
The hyperspectral camera (xiSpec2) has a high spectral fidelity and is supported with tools and after-sales support for the rapidly evolving machine vision market, including guaranteed spectral data quality, ease of use, and calibration.
Imec and Ximea believe the collaboration will speed up the adoption of hyperspectral imaging in a wide range of applications including crop monitoring in agriculture, quality and freshness control in the food industry, augmented reality for surgery, robot guidance in industrial production plants, predictive outdoor maintenance, biometrics, forensics or earth observation.
In hyperspectral imaging, light is captured from a combination of spectral bands and delivers valuable data about the non-visible aspects of the objects and surfaces being examined, such as their (bio)chemical composition.
Ximea uses imec’s hyperspectral technology in its xiSpec cameras, claimed to be the world’s smallest spectral cameras. They are capable of real time video rate spectral data acquisition, to enable portables, robotics and integration in other systems.
The xiSpec2 camera has been optimised to improve the spectral quality of the acquired data. Customers can tailor image quality and spectral range to an application. Software enables applications in more challenging non-standardised industrial settings, says imec.
xiSpec2 camera customers have access to imec’s manuals and sample data. imec will provide tailored expert level technical support to help customers make technical decisions and enable them to focus on the application.
The xiSpec2 series consists of three standard cameras which can be ordered and delivered from December 2020. A starter kit includes the necessary peripherals, for example lenses and cables.
Ximea develops, manufactures, and distributes industrial and scientific cameras Imec is a research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies. It specialises in microchip technology, profound software and ICT expertise. It has an infrastructure and local and global ecosystem of partners across a multitude of industries, to create innovation in application domains such as healthcare, smart cities and mobility, logistics and manufacturing, energy and education.
Imec is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium and has distributed R&D groups at a number of Flemish universities, in the Netherlands, Taiwan, USA, and offices in China, India and Japan.
