Multi-application platform for education & training purposes in photonical measurement engineering & quality assurance with image processing

Abstract Involving children as well as students in photonical measurement engineering and quality assurance with image processing is becoming increasingly important due to the fact that children and students nowadays are well equipped with powerful mobile cameras and computers, for example smartphones. The Department of Quality Assurance and Industrial Image Processing at the Technische Universität Ilmenau noticed that standard measurement equipment within the labs does no longer encourage children as well as students to develop and apply conventional laboratory equipment for image processing. One reason could be that children and students are missing the playful approach to image processing technology and their applications which appears familiar to them from everyday life. To tackle this issue, within the above-mentioned Department a multi-application platform for education and training purposes on photonical measurement engineering and quality assurance with image processing has been developed. To adapt to the accepted player experience of young users a LEGO Train within a LEGO City environment has been introduced. Integrated within the multi-application platform, there are several image processing technologies like color webcam setup for 2D QR code readings, laser line and monochrome line-scan camera setup for 3D measurements, spectral filter equipped cameras for spectral image acquisitions and an infrared camera for thermal image acquisitions. Thereby children as well as students can experience image processing technologies in a playful environment. The paper shows HOW the multi-application platform has been constructed and HOW the applied image processing technologies have been implemented. The necessary hardware- and software setups can be practiced.