Photoneo releases MotionCam-3D Color (Blue) to improve robot perception

Robots typically need multiple sensors to perceive their environments and manipulate items. However, certain materials and lighting conditions can cause problems. Photoneo today announced its MotionCam-3D Color (Blue) sensor, which it claimed takes a new approach to 3D machine vision.

Current sensors involve a tradeoff among speed, robustness, resolution, and ease of maintenance, stated Svorad Stolc, chief technology officer of Photoneo. Stereo cameras provide good frame rates but are limited in data quality, and time-of-flight (ToF) cameras are compact but are poor in resolution or accuracy of scene geometry, he said.

In addition, parallel structured light technology, Photoneo’s specialty, offers detail but requires objects to be stationary during image capture, observed Stolc in a launch webinar.

“Another problem is artifacts generated by materials that are not cooperative … these materials are shiny, black, transparent, or highly reflective,” he explained. “[There’s also] the amount of ambient light in the scene.”

MotionCam-3D Color (Blue) captures data in motion

MotionCam-3D Color (Blue) uses a blue laser rather than the more common red laser for more robust vision and can even capture objects moving at 144 kph (90 mph), said Stolc. By delivering sub-millimeter accuracy at up to 20 fps, this allows for image capture for tasks such as dimensioning without halting production lines.

The new sensor can provide high-resolution data from moving vehicles and parts without requiring pauses for 3D scanning or servo synchronization. It builds on Photoneo’s existing proprietary technology but captures data up to five times faster, it said.

The company claimed that MotionCam-3D Color (Blue)’s faster exposure time enables dynamic object handling, cutting cycle times by up to 2 seconds for high-speed assembly environments. It also said that this enables picking of 97% of objects in logistics and automotive manufacturing, eliminating blur and the need for pre-sorting.

In addition, the sensor can pick up dark, transparent, or reflective objects and is not affected by ambient conditions, including direct sunlight or metal surfaces at 1,200°C (2,200°F), said Photoneo.

Data stream to feed digital twins

“MotionCam-3D, combined with Instant Meshing software, enables real-time digital twinning by continuously converting a stream of 3D data into a complete, high-fidelity mesh — all in the time it takes most 3D scanners to capture a single static view,” asserted Photoneo.

In combination with data from its RGB 3D camera through sensor fusion, the new sensor can power high-accuracy industrial inspection, bin picking, and digital twins for integration with artificial intelligence inference, said Stolc.

“We can now scan from multiple perspectives for robot motion and get complete 3D data that combines viewing perspectives,” he noted. “[With] part geometries like thin metal sheets or L-shaped parts that are visible from one side but not another, our sensors can help spot defects, cut cycle times, and provide better localization performance.”

Stolc noted that the at a shorter wavelength, MotionCam-3D Color (Blue) can project more strongly for lower “noise” and scanning of pallets or large parts at distances up to 4 m (13 ft.).

Photoneo pledges zero downtime

Not only the sensor hardware been redesigned, but the MotionCam-3D Color (Blue) also comes with new software that includes a built-in Autonomous Maintenance feature, said Patrik Daniel, software development lead at Photoneo.

“The question of maintenance of 3D vision devices is a tricky point,” he said. “Usually, it [involves] some tedious tasks, like getting a trained person on site. The production lines actually need to stop,” he said. “From now on, we are designing all new Photoneo products with the bold goal of zero downtime for our customers.”

Typical scenarios for using the feature include before setup to make sure a line is working, or when there are major changes to the environment such as temperature or humidity in moving from lab to production, Daniel said. Movement shocks from transporting the device or robot collisions can also require a reset for precision applications.

MotionCam-3D Color (Blue) supports GigE Vision 2.1, allowing for plug-and-play integration with third-party software and easy coding in C++, Python, or GenICa-compliant platforms, said Daniel.

Photoneo makes MotionCam-3D available

Founded in 2013, Photoneo s.r.o. started with CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) technology for scanning without vibration interference and then moved to parallel structured light, said Daniel. The Bratislava, Slovakia-based company has served the automotive industry, which has significant production in that country.

In December 2024, 2D and 3D sensor provider Zebra Technologies Corp. acquired the unit from Photoneo Brightpick Group. Meanwhile, the Brightpick unit continued with its Autopicker mobile manipulator, which won a 2024 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award for Application of the Year.

At Automate 2025, Photoneo demonstrated picking of bags from a rack using a continuous stream of 3D data for an uninterrupted process in car manufacturing.

How did Photoneo work with customers to develop the MotionCam-3D Color (Blue)?

“The company has application engineers and offices around the world, and they’re very often onsite, collecting the data,” replied Martin Michalik, product specialist at Photoneo. “We have been in pilots and are accepting orders now.”

The MotionCam-3D Color (Blue) will begin shipping next week alongside Photoneo’s RGB and red MotionCam-3D sensors. It will also come with Version 1.15 of the company’s application programming interface (API) and a new version of its PhoXi control software.