SiLC Technologies launches Eyeonic Trace Laser Line Scanner
The company, whose vision sensor technology is based on silicon photonics, says its new product offers human-like vision with sub-millimetre depth precision, with applications in next-generation warehouse automation, robotics, farming, construction and manufacturing
SiLC Technologies, a company developing integrated single-chip FMCW LiDAR solutions, has announced the launch of Eyeonic Trace, its Class 1 Laser Line Scanner which it says is capable of dimensioning objects with extreme accuracy, even from distances up to 10 metres. Targeted to industrial automation applications, SiLC describes the new Eyeonic Trace as an all-in-one inspection and measurement tool for objects moving on conveyor belts, bucket elevators, and assembly lines or being scanned by a robotic arm.
The market for industrial and robotics solutions that are autonomous and capable of sub-millimetre precision is on the rise. Warehouse automation is a pressing need as the persistent drop in working age population in the past two decades has left many organisations short staffed and challenged to meet operational efficiency levels. Autonomous solutions with human-like vision can enable the next wave in industrial automation for applications that require high levels of dexterity, precision and hand-eye coordination.
“What we’re seeing in mobility related to machine vision that is human-like and predictive is following suit in industrial automation, warehouse operations, robotics and manufacturing,” said Mehdi Asghari, CEO of SiLC Technologies. “The new Eyeonic Trace Laser Line Scanner provides better depth precision than the human eye. Not only does our Eyeonic Trace measure objects with great precision, but the laser is also Class 1 eye safe, which means that factory workers can use it without the constraints of a ‘Keep Out’ area or ‘Special Eye Protection Required’ mandate.”
The Eyeonic Trace marks SiLC’s first entry into offering a turnkey, fully integrated product. Until now, SiLC has provided technology solutions as key components to strategic customers that integrate it into their own product lines. The company says this expansion in its business model is by popular demand and enables it to access a broader range of customers who do not have their own product integration capability.
At the core of the Eyeonic Trace design is SiLC’s Eyeonic Vision Sensor with a highly integrated silicon photonics chip containing low-loss waveguides, coherent detection, semiconductor optical amplifiers and other photonic functions. In addition, the company says the laser in the Eyeonic Trace is very low power and meets the Class 1 laser specifications, meaning that it is eye safe when deployed in any automation application. The scanner has a 72-degree field of view to allow for measurement of large objects. Measuring only 200 x 135 x 75 mm, the Eyeonic Trace easily mounts above a conveyor belt, assembly line, or on the side of a robotic arm, SiLC adds.
Higher Resolution and Wider Field of View
“FMCW LiDAR offers more resolution, which is a huge advantage in automation,” remarked Harvey Weinberg, director of sensor technologies at Microtech Ventures, a global firm focused on M&A, investments, and business development for sensors, MEMS, and microtechnology companies. “Scanning packages passing at a high speed on a conveyor belt, requires a scanner with quick response time, millimetre accuracy, wide field of view, and a long operating range. The Eyeonic Trace is the industry’s first scanner to meet this challenge.”
According to SiLC, the long operating range means that the Eyeonic Trace scanner can be placed two or three metres above a conveyor belt to measure large boxes and still accurately measure items as small as a few centimetres tall, and can provide millimetre measurement precision from as far as 10 metres away.
SiLC will be featuring its new Eyeonic Trace Laser Line Scanner at the CES 2025 show in Las Vegas from 7-10 January, and adds that samples of the Eyeonic Trace will be available in Q2 2025, with production scheduled for the second half of 2025.
