MVTec Software GmbH, a leading manufacturer of standard machine vision software, has made HALCON software library ready for mobile use. With "HALCON Embedded for Android", the software now also runs on portable devices such as tablets, phablets, and smartphones that use the Android operating system. For this purpose, MVTec successfully tested HALCON Embedded on different Android systems. On request, MVTec will develop a customized Android version that is perfectly tailored to individual requirements. This version benefits companies that develop professional imaging applications based on the Android platform. It also lays the groundwork for additional application scenarios, including those for private users that use the advantages of imaging in a wide range of applications for object or text recognition in everyday situations.
Automated, mobile character recognition
The mobile HALCON version opens up a wide range of new application possibilities. For example, the technology can be used for reliable optical character recognition (OCR). One practical scenario in this context is mobile scanning and the recording of text and character information, such as reading power and water meters with a smartphone. Other possible scenarios include mobile recognition and the recording of street names for navigation applications or of vehicle license plate numbers to speed up the check-out process for car rentals, for example. Using a suitable application, it is also possible to scan sales data with a mobile device and transfer it directly to company software. Other possible options include applications for industrial plant maintenance. For example, specific components in control cabinets may be reliably identified for replacement purposes using imaging software. And there's more: service technicians benefit from a multimedia manual. They can easily recognize assemblies and components with a mobile device and use this information to prepare instructions for certain maintenance processes or access additional information online.
"By developing HALCON Embedded for Android, we have addressed the growing importance of mobile applications in the work environment and in everyday life. It is also important to include complex applications in mobile devices. Thanks to HALCON Embedded for Android, such applications are now also possible for complex imaging scenarios," says Dr. Gerhard Blahusch, Director of Engineering with MVTec. "A wide range of applications is possible. When customers have special requirements for processing images on mobile Android systems, we are happy to support them in developing customized and tailored solutions. Our technology is ideally suited for use in embedded systems that work with the popular ARM processor architecture. Providing HALCON on the Android platform is the next logical step in this development," Blahusch adds.
