Imec and XIMEA Launch Industrial Grade Hyperspectral Camera Solution Addressing the High-Quality Standards for Machine Vision Applications

Today, imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, and XIMEA, German manufacturer of scientific and industrial-grade cameras, announce their intensified collaboration that has resulted in a series of new hyperspectral cameras (xiSpec2).

The cameras come with a high spectral fidelity and the necessary tools and after-sales support to match the needs of the rapidly evolving machine vision market, including guaranteed spectral data quality, ease of use, and calibration. The intensified collaboration between imec and XIMEA will speed up the adoption of hyperspectral imaging in a wide range of applications including crop monitoring in agriculture, quality and freshness control in the food industry, augmented reality for surgery, robot guidance in industrial production plants, predictive outdoor maintenance, biometrics, forensics or earth observation.

In hyperspectral imaging, light is captured from a combination of spectral bands and delivers valuable data about the non-visible aspects of the objects and surfaces being examined, such as their (bio)chemical composition. For five years, XIMEA has been commercializing imec’s hyperspectral technology in its xiSpec cameras, the world’s smallest spectral cameras. These cameras have the unique capability of real-time video rate spectral data acquisition, ushering a torrent of new applications as they enable portables, robotics and integration in other systems where traditional push-broom is too challenging.

With the xiSpec2 camera, imec and XIMEA further extend the applicability of hyperspectral imaging. Targeting medical, agriculture and machine vision market, imec takes on an active role in the collaboration. XIMEA and imec optimized the camera design to improve the spectral quality of the acquired data and enable our customers to tailor image quality and spectral range to their application.  Also, new software enables applications in more challenging non-standardized industrial settings. Finally, xiSpec2 camera customers have access to imec’s manuals and sample data. Moreover, as each customer has other requirements, and there is no one-fits-all solution, imec will provide tailored expert level technical support to help customers in making the right technical decisions and enable them to focus on their application.

"As a world-leading nanoelectronics R&D center, imec has developed unique CMOS-based hyperspectral imaging technology that, over the years, has resulted in a set of top-class hyperspectral image sensors and hyperspectral camera solutions with extreme compactness, low weight and high reliability. Our collaboration with XIMEA has been a key element for our technology to find its way to the market,” stated Andy Lambrechts, program director at imec. “With this extension of the collaboration with XIMEA, we take a next step. By offering our tailored technical support to xiSpec2 customers, we guarantee the quality needed to fully reap the capabilities of this promising technology.”

The xiSpec2 series consists of 3 standard cameras and tailored solutions can be derived upon customers’ needs. The new xiSpec2 cameras can be ordered and delivered starting December 2020. Customers can obtain a starter kit with the necessary peripherals (lenses, cables…) to ensure a smooth startup as well as after-sales support that includes a warranty on the spectral image quality.

Standard cameras of the new xiSpec2 series as included in a total offering with the necessary peripherals, software and support.