SICK (Waldkirch, Germany) has acquired Accerion (Venlo, Netherlands), which specializes in AI-based image processing with a focus on positioning technologies for autonomous robile robots (AMRs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs).
The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.
In explaining the decision to acquire Accerion, Niels Syassen, executive board member for technology and digitalization at SICK, says, "The market for sensor solutions for autonomous mobile robots offers enormous growth potential, as the demands on industrial companies for an efficient supply chain in terms of throughput, availability, flexiblity, and safety are steadily increasing."
Combining Edge-based AI-Enabled Image Processing and Optical Sensors
Founded in 2015, Accerion’s flagship product is Triton—AI-based image processing for navigation using optical sensors and built-in processing. Accerion describes the product as a stand-alone positioning solution that doesn’t need navigation infrastructure, such as virtual lines and grids, which are often based on QR tags, optical or magnetic tape or reflectors. Instead, it works with textured floors such as concrete.
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"Using our advanced algorithms, the optical sensor is able to detect unique features in each section of the floor to later provide a sub-mm accurate position back to a mobile robot (AGV or AMR)," the company says of the product it launched in 2020.
The Accerion team and product portfolio are now part of SICK Accerion B.V. and product development work will continue at the location in Venlo, Netherlands.
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For its part, SICK already offers products in localization, navigation, and guidance such as LiDAR sensors, 3D stereo vision sensors, code readers, and application software.
The two companies have been working together on customers' projects since 2021, combining SICK's LiDAR-LOC technology with Accerion's Triton technology.
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Linda Wilson joined the team at Vision Systems Design in 2022. She has more than 25 years of experience in B2B publishing and has written for numerous publications, including Modern Healthcare, InformationWeek, Computerworld, Health Data Management, and many others. Before joining VSD, she was the senior editor at Medical Laboratory Observer, a sister publication to VSD.