Image Processing Thuringia

"Through constant growth in turnover in the past and an undiminished positive outlook for future, the market for industrial image processing in Germany has been able to independently establish itself. Industrial image processing is on its way to becoming a key technology, since it ensures the competitiveness of its users." (Source: Automation with Industrial Image Processing 2000/2001, VDMA, Frankfurt am Main). This is also the trend in the German state of Thuringia. In the Ilmenau-Jena-Erfurt technology triangle, companies have many years of experience specifically in image analysis, signal processing, and the necessary systems engineering for image processing, including education and training of scientific staff, research, development and, increasingly, the manufacture of image processing components, including complete image processing solutions.

DESCRIPTION

The Thuringian Research Program "Image Processing, Pattern Recognition and Engineering Vision Systems" (BMTS) has been in existence since 1997. It was started on the initiative of the Thuringian Ministry of Science, Research and Art (TMWFK), the Technical University of Ilmenau, and the Center for Image and Signal Processing Ilmenau (ZBS e.V.). Through the BMTS Coordination Office, an information and cooperation network has been established that bundles areas of competence in Thuringia, in consideration of commercial demand and scientific development. In the framework of the information and cooperation network, databases of hardware and software components, sample solutions, test image material, and joint use of sophisticated instrumentation have been established to assist businesses integrated in the network. Moreover, the BMTS Coordination Office organizes the cooperation of Thuringian companies with the Ministry, universities and other institutes of higher education, and non-university research and development facilities. Four pilot projects were formulated, taking into account current development trends, and oriented toward essential product groups and branches in Thuringia:

3D Surface Scanning and Analysis
Flexible Inspection and Diagnostic Systems for Quality Assurance
Medical Imaging and Image Processing
Complex Monitoring and Service Systems with Multimedia Human-Machine Interaction

The pilot projects simultaneously lead to the structuring of research activities in Thuringia and avoid redundant research expenditures. Resulting innovative products and knowledge gained in the areas of image processing, pattern recognition and engineering vision systems yield market advantages for Thuringian companies.

The spectrum of industrial image processing in Thuringia is characterized both by large companies and numerous small and medium-sized businesses. New start-up companies spinning off from the universities play an important role in technology transfer between research and product realization.

The Thuringian Research Program in Image Processing, Pattern Recognition, and Engineering Vision Systems is represented by approximately 50 companies and facilities.

LINK TO WEBSITE

www.zbs-ilmenau.de
www.kompetenznetze.de/navi/en/Kompetenznetze/bildverarbeitung-thueringen.html

German Networks of Competence

Introduction

List of German Research Projects

Image Proc. Thuringia