Alsontech provides a real-time, cost-effective 3D vision positioning system for robotic random pick

At present, industrial robot integratorsare still facing the problem that robots are difficult to work at high speedsunder complex visual recognition environments, especially in the picking industry where industrial robots can only pick objects at a fixed mode. For the identification and picking of stacked or disordered objects, more than 90% ofthe works is still done manually, which greatly limits the efficiency ofindustrial production.

In order to solve the problem, Alsontech beganthe independent development of a robotic 3D vision positioning system two years ago, and officially launched the entire solution last year.

Connecting the coordinates of the robot and the 3D sensor and calibrating them, Alsontech robotic 3D vision positioning system obtains the 3D point cloud data by scanning the object quickly with laser, matches the 3D data with model, calculates the object 3D data which issuitable for robot picking, and sends the coordinates to the robot for accurate picking.

Miao Qingwei, CEO of Alsontech, said to 36Krypton, a technology venture media, that the company’s main advantages are fast operation and high cost-effectiveness. Using conventional algorithms, it usually takes at least a few minutes to scan and output the three-dimensionaldata, while Alsontech has shortened the time to 1 second, with a high positioning accuracy between 0.05mm-1mm. Compared with the price of RMB 300,000of similar foreign products, the price of Alsontech 3D vision positioning system is only about RMB 150,000 to 200,000, which is at least 1/3 cheaper. Inaddition, the 3D vision positioning solution is a complete system with hardware and software, and customers can directly use it without secondary development.

Asked how to continue to reduce costs, Mr. Miao said that they would try at the hardware and software at the same time to reduce cost through algorithm optimization and hardware structure changes. The hardware cost is mainly on the high-precision industrial cameras, whose priceis around tens of thousands of yuan, so the reduction would not be big in ashort term.

Now Alsontech 3D vision positioning system has been applied to well-known robot companies such as ABB and KUKA. In addition to robot manufacturers, customers of 3D vision positioning systems also include robot integrators and end manufacturers, among which robot integrators are the biggest customers. Mr. Miao told 36Krypton that the sales of 3D vision positioning system reached one million yuan last year, and was expected to reach 20 million yuan this year.

In addition to the robotic 3D positioning system, Alsontech also launched the self-developed intelligentthree-dimensional measurement system to address the problems of high equipment procurement cost and low detection efficiency in the industrial measurement field. Based on triangulation principle, it uses multiple sets of 3D sensors to calibrate position and establish coordinate association. Each sensor collects athree-dimensional image of the object, then the system performs data stitching and point cloud processing to output the measurement result.

Alsontech applies different technologies like binocular, grating, and laser to different measurement scenarios. For example, in some measurement scenarios where only the size information of the hole is needed, the binocular camera can be used to collect the image data withina few seconds. However, for measurement scenarios that require contour size information, laser or grating technologies are required. Because the amount ofdata to be processed is also relatively large, the processing time is longer from 1 minute to several minutes.

Alsontech intelligent 3D measurement systems can be widely used in aerospace, automotive, home appliances and other fields. According to the engineering volume, the price of the solution ranges from hundreds of thousands to several million, which is about 1/3 lower than similar foreign products. In addition, Alsontech can also provide in-time local support.

Alsontech has sold multiple sets of 3D measurement systems to customers including Chinese Academy of Sciences, aerospace, automobile manufacturers, etc. From last year to this year, sales reached nearly 2 million yuan.

Alsontech received tens of millions of financing from DL Capitals in 2017. At present, most of the R & D personnel graduated from the original Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping, and are experienced in software development of space and three-dimensional measurement.