The European Machine Vision Association (EMVA) and Khronos Group Inc. formed the Embedded Camera API Exploratory Group. The group is open to all at no cost, and is intended to explore industry interest in the creation of open royalty-free API standards for controlling embedded cameras and sensors.

Meetings are expected to take place over the course of several months, beginning March 25. Participants will be able to discuss use cases and requirements for new interoperability standards. If a significant consensus is reached, EMVA and Khronos will pursue the proposed standardization initiatives at the appropriate organization for implementation.

The group, a press release from EMVA said, was created in response to industry demand, due to the lack of open cross-vendor camera control API standards, which can reduce development and integration costs. Consistent interoperability standards and guidelines for embedded cameras and sensors could streamline deployment by manufacturers and system integrators by enabling easier integration through compatibility.

Companies in the machine vision space have expressed interest in the group, including Basler AG, Stemmer Imaging, Allied Vision, and Baumer, the press release said. Larger companies such as Google, Facebook, NVIDIA, Huawei, Texas Instruments, and Qualcomm have also voiced their support.