Here our Editorial Director, Tom Tiner, meets with Alexis Teissie from LUCID Vision Labs to discuss the latest products coming from LUCID.
At this year’s SPIE Photonics West, my visit to Lucid Vision Labs stood out not because of a single headline product but because of a clear pattern across three very different demos. Lucid is taking technologies that have lived in labs, evaluation kits, and research papers and turning them into cameras that can be deployed on real machines.
That theme came through in SWIR imaging, high speed Ethernet, and event based vision alike.
SWIR becoming a practical inline option
The Atlas10 SWIR camera built around the Sony IMX992 showed familiar examples such as water levels in containers and security features in banknotes under 1300 nm and 1550 nm illumination. What stood out was the explanation of cooled and uncooled options and why both matter.
Thermoelectric cooling is not a feature for marketing. It is there for applications that need longer exposure times such as biomedical imaging or semiconductor inspection. The camera regulates to 20 degrees Celsius out of the box and users can adjust that if they design the thermal path correctly. Combined with full EMVA 1288 data this signals that SWIR buyers are now system builders making specification level decisions.
SWIR has been understood for years but price kept it in research. With Sony reducing sensor cost Lucid is seeing OEMs offer SWIR as an option on standard inspection machines. That is a clear sign that SWIR is moving into mainstream inline use.
25 GigE and RDMA making data movement easier
With the Atlas25 25 GigE camera the focus was on data rather than pixels. By adopting RDMA within GigE Vision 3.0 Lucid has reduced the CPU load normally associated with very high speed Ethernet cameras.
The key point was how straightforward this now is. The same sensors and optics as 10 GigE systems but faster data transfer using an ecosystem already proven in data centres. By integrating the optical transceiver into the camera and using a simple LC fibre connection Lucid has made 25 GigE a drop in replacement. Passive cooling, no fans, and affordable network cards remove much of the system complexity that used to come with very high speed imaging.
Event based vision ready for real environments
The most visually striking demo used an event based sensor from Prophesee. Pixels report changes in light independently without frames or shutters which creates an effect closer to continuous perception than traditional imaging.
These sensors have existed for years in research settings. Lucid’s contribution is packaging this technology in its industrial Triton IP67 housing with a standard GigE interface. This moves event based vision from proof of concept into something that can be integrated into machines. Early industrial applications are now appearing as a result.
One consistent approach
Across all three demos the same philosophy was clear. Lucid takes advanced sensors, pairs them with robust industrial platforms, uses standard interfaces, and removes the integration barriers that keep new imaging technologies out of production systems.
From our perspective that was the real story of the booth. Not a single product launch but a consistent approach to turning emerging imaging technologies into practical tools for machine builders.
