With rapid development in 5G, AIOT, automotive electronics, and other downstream sectors, the entire supply chain is expected to benefit from this consumer market. As product demand momentum gradually increases, increasing production efficiency and reducing operational costs become the most important issues. In order to meet the needs of customers for various packaging types, Yingwei Technology has been committed to developing highly customized test seats. However, a resulting pain point is the inability to mass-produce and fully automate operations with machines; some tasks still rely on manual execution. In this project, the probe part of the test seat was outsourced in 2021, and under current and future large-scale demands, work hours, costs, supply, and quality are issues Yingwei faces.
The company achieves a defect detection rate of 99.95%, which seems high, but with an average inspector able to inspect 10,000 needles per day, there would still be 5 defective needles. On a test seat that is only 3 cm wide with approximately 1,000 needles, just one defective needle could potentially lead to faulty testing at the customer end. As the current operational mode relies on manual visual inspection, external factors such as fatigue or oversight of personnel, and subjective judgment by inspectors may lead to the outflow of defective products, which necessitates strict quality control of contact components.
We once sought to utilize optical inspections (Rule-based) for controlling the quality of appearances, but the metallic material of the contact components leads to light scattering, background noise interference, background scratches, and material issues that could result in misjudgments. Therefore, we decided to look for AI technology service providers to solve our detection difficulties.
Developments of Dedicated AOI Line Scan Equipment
To meet the needs for inspecting thousands to tens of thousands of probes within our company's IC test seats, traditional surface imaging and individual needle imaging would be too slow to achieve rapid inspection and labor-saving goals. In response, the service provider proposed a trial with an AOI dedicated line scan module solution. Utilizing a width of 6.3mm on the X-axis for reciprocal scanning of all probes on the test seat, the tests allowed for the simultaneous scanning of 8-9 probes, significantly enhancing the future detection efficiency of AOI machines. This project will proceed with the aforementioned innovative Proof of Concept (POC), focusing on the development of the line scanning equipment and performing imaging, learning, and training on both normal and abnormal probes provided by our company, with initial AI model training aimed at preliminary approval.
A Single AI Technology Solution for Measurement/Detection Needs
Unified use of AI DL CNN learning methods, instead of the current Rule-based system which necessitates defining each defect individually, to meet the needs for abrasion measurement and appearance defect detection of malfunctions/foreign objects. When the same machine uses both measurement and detection technologies, not only does it increase costs, but it also affects the detection speed. Hence, the service provider recommends the use of a line scan device for imaging. Its resolution is sufficient for AI to simultaneously determine appearance defects and assess the condition of needle tip abrasion, as detailed below.
This AI detection technology meets both measurement and inspection needs for Yingwei, not only bringing more benefits to future probe testing but also introducing an innovative axis in AI technology.
Change the method of human inspection, enhance work efficiency and product quality!
After combining both hardware (line scan) and software (AI model training) approaches, we successfully ventured into new AOI detection applications. Following the AI implementation POC, including the development and validation of a customized line scan module and an initial AI model, the plan is to officially develop the AOI machine next year and integrate it into the IC test seat production line.
Future Prospects
Probe manufacturers upstream and downstream IC factory users both have needs for the AOI inspection machine; upstream can ensure probe quality before leaving the factory, while downstream users can use this machine to regularly inspect the condition of numerous IC test seats in hand. Given the future demands, the AOI machine is poised to have a significant positive impact on the IC testing industry in the foreseeable future.
「Translated content is generated by ChatGPT and is for reference only. Translation date:2024-12-12」
Have you had your morning coffee yet
Over the past decade, Taiwan has gradually formed a coffee drinking culture With the advancement of AI technology, autonomous coffee roasters can now rely on AI for precise location setting while also cultivating a loyal customer base Let's see how this is done According to the International Coffee Organization ICO, Taiwanese consume approximately 285 billion cups of coffee annually, with the coffee market in Taiwan estimated at 80 billion TWD, growing about 20 each year
In recent years, the 'drinking coffee' culture in Taiwan has become synonymous with popularity, with coffee being the most frequently chosen daily beverage by 65 of the population Coffee enthusiasts, particularly the more avid ones, are willing to pay more for coffee beans that suit their tastes An increasing number of unmanned drink kiosks have also begun to appear in the Taiwanese beverage market
Unmanned coffee beverage shops face difficulties in expanding quickly, primarily due to two major issues one is the appropriateness of customer flow and machine placement locations which still rely on manual analysis the second is penetrating the market of mid to high-end coffee lovers accurately
AI resolves two major challenges for autonomous coffee roasters suitable placement and cultivating a loyal customer base
To tackle these issues and help autonomous coffee roasters quickly break into the market, Raysharp Electronics intends to implement AI for people flow counting analysis and unfamiliar face recognition These technologies aim to calculate the crowd size at potential roaster locations and classify consumers by gender and age for more precise market analysis They also provide multiple choices for the roasting of raw coffee beans, offering a more customized service tailored to the needs and tastes of professional coffee aficionados with a pack of 'high-quality roasted beans'
Since 2018, the rise of unmanned stores has been mainly due to owners wanting to reduce persistently rising rent and personnel costs However, the initial assessment of store locations still requires hourly labor expenses for manual estimation of customer flow, leading to possible miscalculations of both on-site consumers and passerby traffic These inaccuracies may prevent precise real-time analysis of customer flow, or even misguided estimations of operational efficacy after a trial run, thus missing the optimal timing for loss-preventing location retraction
Raysharp Electronics introduces autonomous coffee roasters equipped with AI-based people counting analysis and facial recognition
Raysharp Electronics combines AI people counting analysis and facial recognition with the coffee trend known as 'black gold', addressing the preferences of numerous coffee connoisseurs in Taiwan who enjoy personally selecting coffee beans at bulk stores and frequenting high-quality grinding cafes or chain coffee shops A new concept for the first autonomous coffee roaster offering choices based on the origin, variety, and roasting methods of coffee beans has emerged
AI coffee roasters enhance customer loyalty and materials management efficiency by 20
For the advanced development of autonomous coffee roasters, Raysharp Electronics engineers have equipped the AI NVIDIA development platform on the basis of TCNNFacenet Through AI, tens of thousands of images related to gender and age are used for sample training, allowing even first-time coffee roasting customers to be easily classified using unfamiliar face recognition This gains consumer trust, enhances willingness to use, and allows for recording purchase information and future product recommendations, leading to consumer purchase behavior analysis This information helps owners tailor future material preparation based on consumer preferences for different coffee beans, reducing raw material transportation and storage issues, and improving material management efficiency by 20
Moreover, by placing these autonomous coffee roasters in high-traffic areas, owners can use cameras to capture the crowd and assess whether the machine location has an adequate customer base, quickly analyzing whether to reposition the machines, and more easily targeting the best locations for middle and high-end coffee lovers
The unmanned coffee roaster features a professional roasting mode interface, providing options based on the origin and variety of coffee beans, their roasting methods light, medium, deep, and related temperature, wind speed, and timing settings If improvement needs arise during the process, engineers can adjust firmware parameters and also assist in integration with the owner's ordering system
Staff members briefly describe the operation of the autonomous coffee roaster
'Black Gold' penetrates deeper into coffee shops, science parks, and commercial buildings through AI
This autonomous coffee roaster targets coffee connoisseurs and can be placed in middle to high-end coffee shops to roast more customized coffee beans than those available in bulk stores Upon completing a batch of coffee beans, it immediately provides them to professional technicians within the coffee shops for grinding and manual brewing The remaining roasted beans can also be taken home for brewing and enjoyment It also adds value to coffee shops by better understanding consumer preferences for coffee beans and launching more customer-attracting drink promotions and appropriate inventory management
In addition to coffee shops, the autonomous coffee roaster can also utilize AI-based people counting analysis to precisely set up near scientific parks and commercial buildings, offering high-quality coffee beans for office brewing to internal employees with high coffee consumption needs Furthermore, implementing a physical membership system can initiate coffee bean purchase promotions or periodic payment incentives, thus attracting new clients and cultivating existing customer loyalty and retention
The operation interface of the smart autonomous coffee roaster「Translated content is generated by ChatGPT and is for reference only Translation date:2024-05-19」
For most golf courses, the operations and management is a headache "Golf courses are selling turf and need to be properly taken care of," a golf course manager bluntly pointed out Facing the market pain points of labor shortage, aging population and high cost, the use of AI drones for pesticide spraying and pest control will reduce labor costs by more than half and greatly improve the overall operational efficiency
At noon in early summer, an AI drone is slowly taking off at the Taipei Golf Club in Taoyuan Its main task is to test AI drone fertilizing and pesticide spraying on the golf course In fact, drones of Droxo Tech, the company performing this task, are widely used for fertilization, pesticide spraying, and pest and disease control for rice, bananas, and tea trees For golf courses with turfs that often cover tens to hundreds of hectares, AI drones are needed to assist in turf maintenance Data collection, development of pesticide spraying AI models, and multispectral image analysis and testing will be carried out in the current stage In the future, large-scale technology implementation and verification will be carried out to set an example for applying drones to golf courses
Using AI drones to fertilize and spray pesticides can reduce the manpower required by half
The traditional way of maintaining the turf in golf courses is to carry spray buckets or drive spraying vehicles to spray areas one by one "Domestic golf courses began to plant ultra-dwarf Bermuda grass in 2001 This grass species prefers a cool climate and is not suitable for Taiwan's hot and humid weather" Droxo Techrsquos CEO further pointed out that to prevent turf from pests and diseases, pesticide spraying is necessary For an 18-hole golf course, it is equivalent to spraying pesticides once a week, and the T-ground and fairways are sprayed every two months For golf courses, spraying pesticides is time-consuming and labor-intensive It is important to note that large-scale spraying will increase the risk of personnel poisoning and increase the amount of pesticide used
Benefits of applying agricultural drones to golf courses
According to Droxo Techrsquos research, golf course pests include Spodoptera litura, which comes out at night to look for food, so pesticide spraying must be carried out in the evening According to the traditional method, pesticide spraying requires two vehicles and three personnel for a total of 45 hours If AI drones are used for fertilizing and pesticide spraying, it only takes one operator to spray 08 hectares of land in 20 minutes, saving about two-thirds of the manpower and reducing operating costs by about 30
Using AI drones to fertilize and spray pesticides on golf courses can reduce the manpower required by half
In addition to the significant benefits of using agricultural drones for golf course turf maintenance, Droxo Tech also specially introduced AI multispectral image recognition for NDVI Normalized Difference Vegetation Index analysis "The so-called multispectral is to direct light with different wavelengths on the turf, and the reflected images are collected for analysis" Droxo Tech CEO Liu continued to explain that each plant absorbs light with different wavelengths, so multispectral imaging can determine the growth status of grass species At the same time, combined with AI image recognition, the distribution of pests and diseases can be accurately detected, and the amount of pesticide used is determined on this basis
Cross-domain collaboration to build a multi-source turf image databasenbsp
Using AI multispectral image recognition technology, Droxo Tech will collect visible light, multispectral, thermal images, and hyperspectral images to establish a multi-source turf image database to fully understand the growth cycle of Bermuda grass Droxo Tech has accumulated rich experience in agricultural AI drone pesticide spraying , but there are still many problems that need to be overcome to implement AI solutions in golf courses For example, it is necessary to establish a new pesticide spraying model and test flight methods, especially the application of multispectral image recognition PoC is not difficult, but actual implementation requires more test evidence, repeated inferences, and collaboration with plant experts This part must rely on the cross-domain integration of legal entities such as the Institute for Information Technology III, gathering more fields for verification, and creating a paradigm before it can be more widely adopted by golf courses
There are not many international cases on the application of AI drones in golf courses During the verification process, it is not yet known whether it can be quickly copied to the next golf course However, Droxo Tech CEO Liu believes that through cross-domain collaboration, clearly defining the problems and listing them one by one, supply and demand parties can reach a consensus, propose solutions to each problem, and seek cooperation with internal and external resources Only then will we be able to gradually achieve the goal of making golf courses smarter and smoothly assist the industry with transformation
Zuoyi Technology's CEO, Liu Junlin
「Translated content is generated by ChatGPT and is for reference only Translation date:2024-05-19」
The AI HUB website uses cookies and similar technologies to provide the best website experience, including personalized services, advertising and traffic analysis. These cookies include targeted media cookies and advanced analytics cookies. By clicking "Accept", you agree to our use of cookies. You can change your cookie preferences by clicking the "Change Cookie Settings" button. For detailed information on the cookies we use, please see our Cookie Policy. [Cookie Policy]