Journalist Andy Wilson, the founding editor of Vision Systems Design, has died on 7 April.
Wilson’s career reporting on industrial imaging spanned more than 30 years. He worked on Electronic Imaging magazine in 1982 – later bought by publishers Pennwell – and helped launch Vision Systems Design, also published by Pennwell, in 1996.
He was the first and only journalist to receive the Automated Imaging Association’s achievement award in 2013.
At the time of the award, Jeff Burnstein, AIA president, commented: ‘He [Wilson] has been instrumental in introducing vision and imaging technologies to a broad range of industries throughout the world. He has contributed to the education of current vision users on emerging technologies within the vision industry, as well as exposing potential users to all that vision has to offer.’
Those in the machine vision industry who knew him have spoken of his curiosity, his honesty and his sense of humour in an article posted on Vision Systems Design.
Wilson’s long-time colleague and friend, Judy Leger, described him as her ‘VSD partner in crime and "work husband" for 24 years.’
‘There just aren’t any words to express how much I will miss that brilliant, caring, funny, and sometimes exasperating man,’ Leger continued. ‘I will miss him saying, "Trust me! I’m a doctor," because he knew it would push my buttons. And saying, "Brilliant" when he was excited about a new product.’
Wilson graduated in 1984 from Warwick University in England with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics.
He retired as editor of Vision Systems Design in 2016, but continued to write for the title up until earlier this year. In his final article as editor of Vision Systems Design, he spoke about how as 'technology changes more rapidly, those that do not embrace change will fail.' He went on to say: 'Embracing change, however, can be difficult ... If a single programmer leaves a team, then someone with the same experience may be difficult to replace. I should know.'
He will be missed within the machine vision industry.
