Interview from the VISION show floor: XIMEA

Right around the time XIMEA was giving away an unmanned aerial vehicle at their VISION 2014 booth, I had the opportunity to have a conversation with Max Larin, CEO.

All you had to do was walk somewhat near the XIMEA booth to realize that a lot was going on. In addition to the giveaways, the company had a multitude of machine vision cameras on display, including a prototype of its Thunderbolt cameras. As part of its xiLab concept of cameras, XIMEA launched a line of xiT Thunderbolt technology-ready cameras, which feature CMOS image sensors from Sony and CMOSIS. XIMEA was one of only two companies that I visited on the show floor that had Thunderbolt cameras on display.

xiLab, Larin explained, is a new strategy in which the company is combining all of its prototype class of products under one umbrella.

"We are listening to our customers’ demands and responding, but in doing so, we look at how we can create a new product line, and how it could benefit others," he said.

In the xiLab concept, a new project goes through the development process where we get early feedback from customers. Sometimes customers will receive a prototype to test, others come to the XIMEA facilities to evaluate. In certain cases, a product will enter xiLab stage, but later will not go to market as a standard product line, which is why it helps to get customers’ impressions in order to determine if the concept is viable, explained Larin. (Note: The Thunderbolt cameras are the first product released through xiLab.)

Moving on to the topic of the machine vision industry, I asked Larin what his impression of the global industry was, and how his company is performing. He noted that the global industry seems to be doing well, as sales are rising, but talked more about how his company is handling the added pressures of growth.

"Nevertheless, we are doing everything possible to simplify integration for customers in various industries and still manage to have our products meet the balance between customers’ expectations and ultimate deliverables," he said.

(Editor’s note: What do you think? Will the industry grow in 2015? Let us know here.)

When asked about possible growth areas, Larin quickly mentioned hyperspectral imaging; which he emphasized could be the "next big thing." Previous barriers to this technology were cost, size, availability and complexity, but companies such as XIMEA and imec are collaborating to develop new technologies and solutions in the area, which could represent a potential disruptive technology, according to Larin.

View more information on XIMEA.

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