USB 3.0 claims top spot as most popular interface in Vision Systems Design poll

In a Vision Systems Design reader’s poll that asked what camera type will be the most popular in two years’ time, the answer is definitive: USB 3.0.

In a poll that 177 imaging and machine vision professionals took part in, 80 (45%) indicated that USB 3.0 would be the most popular camera type in two years, followed by GigE at 53 (30%), and 10GigE at 24 (14%.) Rounding out the poll was CoaXPress (8), Camera Link (7), and other, which included 1 vote each for USB 2.0, FireWire, and Thunderbolt, with 5 total votes.

We conducted a similar poll last year that asked the same question, but in this poll, 55 (49%) of respondents indicated that GigE would be the most popular choice, which 44 readers (39%) indicated that USB 3.0 would be the most popular choice.

Also of note is the fact that in last year’s poll, we omitted 10GigE as an option, which John Ilett, President of Emergent Vision Technologies, suggested could be a popular option going forward.

"With GigE Vision being arguably the most dominant interface in the industry, the next logical step for higher bandwidth and frame rate would be 10GigE," he said. "It achieves 10X the throughput while still maintaining the key benefits of GigE, such as full standard support and over a decade of integration across multiple industries."

We noted at the conclusion of last year’s poll that “perhaps we could be asking about a different list interfaces,” and that was indeed the case, with 10GigE coming in as the third most popular choice.

What could the list look like next year? Will Thunderbolt be a viable option by then, or will it still be too early? What else could be on the list? Just a few things to consider when thinking about what types of industrial cameras will be the most popular in the future.

Editor’s note: Keep an eye out for our 2015 Camera Directory and a follow up article on the FRAMOS Industrial Camera survey.

Share your vision-related news by contacting James Carroll, Senior Web Editor, Vision Systems Design

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