Machine vision technology entered industrial application in the early 1970s, but due to high computing costs penetration has been limited. The machine vision business is pretty fragmented and the small technology companies are seeking repeat business in narrow business segments. Many new application areas with risks involved remain unsolved, because technology companies are not willing to carry the risks alone and the endusers are used to buying proven technology for their production lines. The European Commission-funded Information Society Technologies (IST) programme has been active in supporting machine vision technology transfer, take-up and research. This promotion has encouraged end-users and technology companies to work together in pilot applications and share the risks. Parallel European-wide dissemination efforts have carried these solutions to a wide audience of potential new users.
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