Build a high-impact picking demo from scratch - in 3 weeks

03 Solution

The automated bin-picking solution for RobotBrag was composed of a LR Mate 200iD mini robot, coupled with our Zivid One + Color 3D camera. They used Zivid’s GeniCam interface for Halcon from MvTEC to segment the different parts in the bin. The DTI also implemented its own acquisition/segmenting solution based on its own framework. Finally, they used the calibration CLI from Zivid to perform the hand-eye alignment from 3D scanner to the robot flange.

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The limited amount of time available meant it was necessary for the customer to have a developer-friendly, adaptable 3D system that could be coupled with their framework in order to pick unknown objects easily. For Carsten Panch Isaksen, Senior Consultant, “We only had three weeks to get familiar with both completely new hardware, as well as developing a new way to pick unknown objects from bins. But this was a very easy process that went very smoothly”.  

High-resolution 3D scanning with an acceptably low-point tolerance was also a key criterion for gripping the objects reliably and Zivid One Plus captures stunningly accurate and precise point clouds, in high-resolution and in color. Designed from the ground up to be developer-friendly, all Zivid 3D color cameras come with full customer support until you are completely happy with your machine vision deployment. Zivid provides extensive documentation, Knowledge Base, and GitHub code repositories. This was particularly appreciated by The DTI as they had so little time to get familiar with the product. Carsten Panch says “The support from Zivid was impeccable. Amy (CSU team) helped us the whole way answering questions quickly. There was a lot of useful documentation on the Knowledge Base to instruct on the acquisition variety. The visitors were absolutely delighted and blown away by the end result”. 

To make a meaningful demonstration of the robot picking objects from different bins, the 3D scanner was also mounted on the arm of the robot. This made it possible to traverse different bins for maximum flexibility. Indeed, attaching the 3D camera directly onto the robot arm unlocks a much more flexible and effective solution since the 3D camera operates in its optimal space regardless of the working volume and robot reach. But until recently 3D vision sensors have just not been robust enough to withstand the mechanical demands and possibility of impact with on-arm robotics. With Zivid One Plus and Zivid Two, finally, these challenges are solved. Learn more about the benefits of 3D vision for on-arm robotics.  

04 Result

The system was constantly on for 2 full days, without a bug, only interrupted when there were no more products to pick. The application has been a success for the DTI: with more than 3000 visitors, the bin-picking demo was particularly appreciated. As a positive side effect, the development team at the DTI acquired a set of new skills both for the Zivid products as well as for Halcon. It has demonstrated for them the robustness and capabilities of integration of the Zivid and Halcon product platforms.