Profile Truest vision
The potential applications for spectral imaging technology are growing, and Headwall Photonics is leading the way. Beth Harlen speaks to co-founder and CEO David Bannon to find out more
I
n 2003, the Massachusetts-based optical division of Agilent Technologies was faced with profound change. At the time, various economic factors
were driving consolidation within the industry and Agilent’s business model was in a state of development, with the company having split off from Hewlett-Packard in 1999. With a focus on telecoms capability and equipment, and semi- conductor manufacturing, Agilent was looking to consolidate its facilities – including its optical division, which had its own 10,000 sq ſt Class 1000 clean room and manufacturing facility. Te opportunity was there, and Headwall
Photonics was born following a management buy- out of that optical division. And by having such a considerable level of control over the design and manufacturing process, Headwall is able to create specialised optics products. ‘We have been lucky that the business has been profitable and growing since the day we first hung the sign up in front of the building,’ said co-founder and CEO, David Bannon. ‘And I believe that the name “Headwall”
PRESERVING HISTORY
Spectral imaging is an incredibly compelling technology with a lot of potential applications as hyperspectral imaging affords conservators the unique ability to research as well as monitor change in historical documents, artefacts, and other items of cultural importance. In December 2014, the team at Headwall Photonics initiated and organised a conference in London, England, in concert with The Bodleian Libraries and Natural History Museum. The conference focused on hyperspectral imaging in the collection-care industry, and drew an international audience who discovered how spectral imaging
technology could be applied to some of the world’s most precious historical documents and works of art. One recent hyperspectral project has been to scan the Dead Sea Scrolls – the first time in history that hyperspectral VNIR and SWIR sensors were used to examine this artefact. ‘Artefacts that are thousands
of years old are of invaluable cultural significance to the countries that own them, and we’ve been able, in a non- invasive and non-destructive manner, to establish a baseline of conditions for conservation care,’ commented David Bannon, co-founder and CEO of Headwall
Photonics. ‘We are able to capture all of the artefact’s spectral and spatial information in order to track the surrounding conditions and monitor how they change over time. In addition, this type of application opens up a wealth of potential research opportunities as people, researchers, historians, curators and conservators can begin looking at the objects in their care a little differently. For example, museums will be able to know more and understand the chemical composition of the materials used. It’s really an exciting application for the technology and we’re proud to be part of it.’
is truly reflective of the type of business we take on and our history.’ Bannon explained that he and a few colleagues
were discussing the business plan and potential of diverging from Agilent, while traversing the snow fields on the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, US. Much of the business planning was done on that mountain; the team also accidentally undertook a controlled glissade over the headwall of Tuckermans Ravine. ‘While it was definitely a thrilling experience, it was also a little unnerving,’ said Bannon. ‘It really seemed to capture how we felt about starting Headwall Photonics – trying to demonstrate and implement pioneering technology would be just as thrilling and no doubt just as unnerving at times.’ Just over 10 years later, the company is
expanding on an international scale. Part of that expansion includes the opening of a new European headquarters, based in Belgium. Headwall BVBA has emerged in response to a rapid growth in Europe, and the desire to set up a facility that provides manufacturing capabilities and also serves as a resource centre for customer conferences and
David Bannon
sales support. Bannon said the company also has plans to further invest in the Belgium facility to demonstrate technology solutions in remote sensing and advanced machine vision.
Core markets Headwall Photonics serves three core markets: laboratory equipment for large OEM customers, such as benchtop medical instrumentation; remote sensing, with applications in precision agriculture, mining and mineral exploration, and environmental research and monitoring; and process industries, which includes process line inspection, product grading, and in-line analysis of products as they pass on conveyer belts. ‘We look at multispectral imaging as a key enabler of next-generation machine vision technology for process analysis,’ said Bannon. ‘Technology is moving on from typical machine vision cameras and into the advanced field of spectral imaging, which offers the ability to view a scene and gather real-time data based on the chemical composition of objects within that scene. Tis is a step beyond typical machine vision inspection of visual elements such as colour.’ Bannon feels that there has been a strategic
change within those core markets that has led to the success of Headwall’s optical technology which are advanced, high-efficiency diffraction gratings. Every object has a unique spectral signature or chemical fingerprint associated with it, and diffraction gratings enable users to make identifications as to what those objects really are, as opposed to what they might be because they have a similar
12 Imaging and Machine Vision Europe • February/March 2015 @imveurope
www.imveurope.com
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