In recent years, soaring labor costs in emerging nations and the rapidly aging population of developed countries have made it difficult for manufacturers to maintain human-operated assembly and visual inspection systems.

As a result, manufacturing sites are seeking new ways to improve appearance inspection systems to ensure higher quality, and to reduce labor requirements for assembly processes through the use of robots. This in turn has resulted in a steadily increasing need to implement advanced automation in manufacturing processes, especially those processes which have previously relied on human vision.

Through the acquisition of ST, Omron will work to develop an ultra-compact and high-definition smart camera that can be easily installed virtually anywhere. This can be achieved by combining ST's design technology for creating compact, high-resolution, and high-speed cameras with Omron's high-speed and high-accuracy image processing technology.

Moreover, Omron will be able to develop and incorporate an ultra-compact camera into a pick-and-place robot arm to enable 3D recognition of objects. The combination of Omron's technologies and ST's one will also enable new automation systems that eliminate the dependence on human vision. This will help free operators from demanding visual inspection tasks, while allowing Omron to develop new markets.

A variety of applications are possible, such as using robots to reduce labor in the assembly process; integrating optical sensors in simplified camera configurations; and creating individual product management systems for product quality traceability.

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