SiLC launches its first end product with LiDAR for industrial automation
SiLC Technologies has launched its first end product, a LiDaR laser line scanner for industrial automation systems with accuracy of 1mm from a distance of up to 10m.
The Eyeonic Trace Class 1 Laser Line Scanner uses the integrated single-chip FMCW LiDAR developed by SiLC to create an all-in-one inspection and measurement tool for objects moving on conveyor belts, bucket elevators and assembly lines or being scanned by a robotic arm.
The market for industrial automation and autonomous robotics need sub-millimeter precision in areas such as warehousing that needs high levels of dexterity, precision and hand-eye coordination.
The Eyeonic Trace marks SiLC’s first entry into offering a turnkey, fully integrated product. Until now, SiLC has provided technology solutions as key components to strategic customers that integrate it into their own product lines. This expansion in SiLC’s business model is by popular demand and enables the company to access a broader range of customers who do not have their own product integration capability.
At the core of the Eyeonic Trace design is a highly integrated frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) silicon photonics chip containing low-loss waveguides, coherent detection, semiconductor optical amplifiers and other photonic functions. In addition, the laser in the Eyeonic Trace is very low power and meets the Class 1 laser specifications, meaning that it is eye safe when deployed in any automation application. The scanner has a wide 72⁰ field of view to allow for measurement of large objects. The LiDaR sensor measures 200 x 135 x 75 mm to mount easily above a conveyor belt, assembly line, or on the side of a robotic arm.
“What we’re seeing in mobility related to machine vision that is human-like and predictive is following suit in industrial automation, warehouse operations, robotics and manufacturing,” said Dr. Mehdi Asghari, CEO of SiLC Technologies.
“The Eyeonic Trace Laser Line Scanner provides better depth precision than the human eye. Not only does our Eyeonic Trace measure objects with great precision, but the laser is also Class 1 eye safe, which means that factory workers can use it without the constraints of a ‘Keep Out’ area or ‘Special Eye Protection Required’ mandate.”
“FMCW LiDAR offers more resolution, which is a huge advantage in automation,” remarked Harvey Weinberg, Director of Sensor Technologies at Microtech Ventures, a global firm focused on M&A, investments, and business development for sensors, MEMS, and microtechnology companies. “Scanning packages passing at a high speed on a conveyor belt, requires a scanner with quick response time, millimeter accuracy, wide field of view, and a long operating range. The Eyeonic Trace is the industry’s first scanner to meet this challenge.”
The long operating range means that the Eyeonic Trace scanner can be placed two or three meters above a conveyor belt to measure large boxes and still accurately measure items as small as a few centimetres high with millimetre accuracy.
It operates effectively across a wide dynamic range, accommodating objects with a range of reflective properties and functions reliably indoors such as a dim warehouse or outdoors in bright sunlight as the FMCW laser is unaffected by ambient light.
The Eyeonic Trace will be shown at CES 2025 in January with samples available in Q2 2025 and production scheduled for the second half of 2025.
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