“Advanced machine vision solutions with state-of-the-art artificial intelligence to automate quality inspection, optimise industrial processes and increase operational efficiency”
Quality inspection for production processes using machine vision
TECNALIA is working on pushing machine vision far beyond its traditional applications. TECNALIA works closely with companies across many different sectors to design tailored solutions to automate quality inspection, optimise the control of processes such as temperature and chemical composition, implement predictive maintenance strategies and provide intelligent assistance in complex tasks through 3D guidance.
In an increasingly demanding and changing industrial environment, companies need technological solutions that can improve their competitiveness and tackle challenges that, until recently, seemed difficult to deal with. TECNALIA is convinced that machine vision, combined with state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, is one of the keys to achieving this.
- Quality inspection continues to be one of the major bottlenecks in many production processes. In many cases, identifying defects still relies on inefficient systems that are unable to detect subtle variations or complex patterns.
- This is compounded by the difficulty of monitoring processes in real time and anticipating failures before they occur, resulting in financial losses and poorer production reliability.
Industrial challenges that require an innovative solution
TECNALIA’s approach is based on in-depth technical knowledge, a multi-sectoral approach and a strong commitment to applied research.
- TECNALIA has a team of experts in state-of-the-art AI for designing solutions and applying imaging across the entire electromagnetic spectrum (X-ray, ultraviolet, visible, infrared to Terahertz, including other non-photonic sources that can be assimilated to imaging), that are capable of developing advanced models that go beyond simple classification. Its systems incorporate detection, segmentation, counting, regression and even synthetic image generation capabilities that make it possible to create virtual sensors or simulate scenarios that are difficult to replicate physically.
- These models are not only more accurate and robust to variability, but also require less data to train them, thanks to approaches such as self-supervised, few-shot or zero-shot learning. This is particularly important in industrial environments, where obtaining large volumes of labelled data can be costly or unfeasible for cases in which only few examples are available (usually the most serious defects).
From data to real impact
However, developing good models is not enough. TECNALIA is working to convert this technology into real, operational, scalable systems. Operationalising AI is one of its major commitments: transforming algorithms into industrial solutions that deliver value from day one. In that process, data and knowledge of the domain are critical, as is the experience of end users, which helps align AI with the actual conditions of the environment.
Using this technology, TECNALIA is aiming not only to improve industrial processes, but also to contribute to a more efficient, smarter and more humane industry. A clear example of this is its collaboration with companies such as BASF, Vidrala, GHI, Arcelor Mittal, among others.
