The first-ever Vision Spectra Conference, set for July 20-22, will feature dynamic speakers ranging from up and- coming entrepreneurs to recognized technology innovators. The European Machine Vision Association (EMVA) and the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) will also inform viewers about updates on standards, trends, and market projections. “With the expanding role of embedded vision and the future of the smart factory close at hand, it’s never been a more exciting time to be part of the industry,” said Michael Wheeler, editor-in-chief of Vision Spectra magazine. “The conference lineup that we’ve assembled is a natural extension of the magazine that we launched in 2019 to offer a forum for thought leaders, to profile innovators, and to examine new use cases for vision technology.” Kicking off the event, the Systems Integrator Forum will be hosted by Wheeler and feature a panel discussion between Darcy Bachert of Prolucid Technologies, Tom Brennan of Artemis Vision, David L. Dechow of Integro Technologies, and Steve Wardell of ATS Automation. Industry is increasingly looking to machine vision and automation to solve increasingly complex production challenges. Systems integrators are the bridge linking these challenges to solutions such as deep learning, robotics, and a host of cutting-edge imaging technologies. Attendees of the Systems Integrator Forum will hear firsthand perspectives from the four industry leaders, who will share executive and end-user perspectives on vision systems integration and offer insights on emerging technologies and applications. The Vision Spectra Conference presentations will be divided into three tracks that focus on market trends, component advancements, and technology trends. Executive insights on the market The Market Trends track will include executive perspectives from A3, EMVA, and Vision Ventures, a company that specializes in mergers and acquisitions and corporate transactions in automated imaging, machine vision, and computer vision. Alex Shikany, vice president for membership and business intelligence at A3, will present up-to-date analysis on key economic drivers from across industry sectors as the vision market emerges from the pandemic. Chris Yates, a director at Vision Ventures and president of EMVA, will explore the current state of business for vision technology, computer vision, and automated imaging — focusing on major players, recent mergers and acquisitions, and investor strategy. Bob McCurrach, A3’s director of standards, and Werner Feith, EMVA’s standards manager, will each present updates on machine vision standards and discuss the importance of meeting standardization needs in an evolving industrial environment. Components and technologies The speaker lineup for the other two tracks — Component Advancements and Technology Trends — continues to expand. As of press time, the Component Advancements track features presentations from the following companies: Edmund Optics, Midwest Optical Systems, MORITEX North America, Optical Metrology Solutions, Smart Vision Lights, and SWIR Vision Systems. The Technology Trends track — which includes sessions on vision-guided robots, deep learning, embedded vision, and 3D imaging — features presentations from Apera.AI, Cyth Systems, FANUC, IDS Imaging, Integro Technologies, Landing AI, Pleora, SICK, the University of Kentucky, Xilinx, and Zivid. The Vision Spectra Conference is Photonics Media’s third virtual conference of 2021, following the Photonics Spectra Conference in January and the Photonics Spectra Optics Conference in April. The latest event, offered exclusively online, begins on Tuesday, July 20, and runs through Thursday, July 22. Registration for the conference is free. More information is available at www.photonics.com/vsc2021.