Welcome back to another instalment in our exclusive series of CEO interviews! This time, we are joined by e-con Systems’ Maharajan Veerabahu.
Maharajan gives us a rundown of his company, reveals which products have brought them the most success, and gives his expert views on what to expect in the industry as 2024 rolls on.
1.) What is your background in the industry?
As the co-founder of e-con Systems, I am deeply committed to our customers’ success. I work directly with them, leveraging our cutting-edge cameras to help them bring their products to life.
Since the early 2000s, I have been a part of the embedded vision space, accumulating over two decades of experience in assisting global customers in overcoming real-world challenges.
2.) How would you describe e-con Systems to those who may be unfamiliar with it?
e-con Systems has 20+ years of experience in designing, developing, and manufacturing OEM cameras and modules. Founded in 2003, we have grown to become a pioneer in the embedded vision space.
We serve industries such as robotics, medical and life sciences, autonomous mobility, smart retail, smart cities, sports broadcasting and analytics, smart agriculture, and more. Our company’s mission is to enable machines to see and understand the world better.
3.) What sets your company apart from others in the sector?
At e-con Systems, our advantage comes from the consistent track record of helping integrate our cameras into all types of vision systems. To date, we’ve accumulated over 300 design wins, with these innovations reaching the United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea etc.
Our unparalleled engineering strength has empowered us to address complex use case requirements while building pioneering products for customers. Our vast, growing pool of specialized engineers has been the backbone of our company.
Hence, we have had the privilege of being the first in the world to introduce many new imaging technologies. For instance, we recently launched six new camera products that incorporate features like AI-enhanced vision for low-light environments, depth sensing, long-distance transmission, and surround-view capabilities. It has helped customers significantly accelerate the speed at which they introduce their products to the market.
Our powerful partner network is also one of our major differentiators. We partner with the best in the industry in areas such as Sensors and ISPs, Host Platforms, NXP SOM, Lenses, etc.
4.) Which products have brought you the most success, and where?
We have a massive camera portfolio comprising USB cameras, global shutter cameras, 3D depth cameras, GMSL cameras, GigE cameras, low-light cameras, HDR cameras, fixed focus cameras, and autofocus cameras. These cameras are based on leading sensor partners, such as Sony, onsemi, and Omnivision, as well as platform partners, such as NVIDIA and Qualcomm.
In recent times, some of our successful products include the RouteCAM_CU22 (IP67-rated HDR PoE camera for outdoor low-light applications), STURDeCAM31 (IP69K 120dB HDR+LFM GMSL2 camera for autonomous mobility), e-CAM200_CUOAGX (20MP 5K rolling shutter camera for low-light and NIR imaging), and the DepthVista (3D ToF camera for indoor and outdoor applications).
Currently, our major markets are the USA, Germany, and other countries in Western Europe, as well as South Korea and Japan.
5.) How do your products improve efficiency in manufacturing and within your sector?
e-con Systems offers high-performance cameras for the manufacturing industry. We have already worked with several customers to deploy cutting-edge vision solutions for applications like rugged handhelds, quality inspection devices, robotics arm and many more. Our cameras also offer superior vision capabilities for factory automation, empowering automated forklifts, and autonomous mobile robots.
Also, we provide on-camera depth processing which helps eliminate latency and offloads compute from the host computer. This allows for faster manufacturing and packing of manufactured goods. Our camera modules include features such as an external ISP (with optimized settings for specific use cases), autofocus, auto white balance, GMSL cable support, customizable lenses, multi-camera synchronization, and production-ready device drivers/software.
Today, embedded vision is at the front and center of different aspects of factory automation, including quality control, predictive maintenance, etc. It’s why e-con Systems launched e-CAM56_CUOAGX, a 5 MP MIPI CSI-2 multi-camera solution, based on the 1/1.8″ Sony Pregius S IMX568 sensor. This camera is equipped with a multi-region of interest (ROI) capture feature and a high frame rate (maximum frame rate of up to 1333 fps), making it suited for the high-speed demands of factory automation.
This camera enables simultaneous monitoring of multiple areas within a single frame, improving the ability to detect anomalies, ensure quality control, and monitor critical processes in real time. e-CAM56_CUOAGX can be easily integrated with the NVIDIA® Jetson AGX Orin™ development kit.
e-con Systems also offers STURDeCAM31 – 3MP 120dB HDR camera powered by the Sony® ISX031 sensor. This automotive-grade sensor is paired with an inbuilt ISP to deliver exceptional image quality in low-light conditions. It also features LED Flicker Mitigation to accurately capture images with pulsed light sources, making it perfect for Autonomous Mobility.
6.) Could you please tell us what upcoming trend you predict in the machine vision space for 2024?
Predicting trends in machine vision and embedded vision involves analyzing current industry demands while considering broader economic factors. In that sense, for 2024, many of the notable trends would be the direct result of the increased integration of AI, ML, and Deep Learning to enhance machine vision-based systems.
For example, these systems are likely to see significant improvements in their object recognition and classification abilities in complex environments. Hence, they will be increasingly capable of real-time processing, critical for immediate decision-making in manufacturing environments where speed and accuracy directly impact quality control and operational efficiency.
Also, the onus will be higher on ensuring that machine vision systems and embedded vision systems can adapt to environmental conditions like fluctuating lighting.
Maharajan Veerabahu is the Co-Founder & Vice President of Product Design Services at e-con Systems. He heads up the design services arm of e-con Systems which helps customers build their products using e-con Systems’ cameras. Maharajan actively works on VisAI labs, a startup within e-con Systems which targets a vision and AI-based application for the logistics and retail market.
