Vision system safeguards packing jobs for the blind

摘要

A solution from machine vision specialist Cognex is allowing blind workers to read and enter information printed on packages of surgical gloves being shipped to Veterans Administration hospitals around the USA. Bosma Enterprises, an Indianapolis-based organisation serving the blind and visually impaired with employment opportunities, has for many years employed blind workers to package and ship the gloves from manufacturers to the VA hospitals. Bosma has a contract from the VA Hospitals prohibiting the use of the corrugated cardboard packaging supplied by the manufacturer, because that material can harbour bacteria and parasites. Workers now need to pack gloves in generic chipboard boxes and create new labels that identify the product. In addition to the manufacturer's name and product type, the new labels have to contain the lot number, part number, size and a barcode from the original boxes shipped by the manufacturers in order to comply with the its product traceability requirements.