IDS Imaging Development Systems will bring a wide-ranging lineup of camera platforms and vision innovations to VISION 2026 (Messe Stuttgart, October 6–8), where the company will be found at booth 8C60 under the banner “Trends. Innovations. Future.” Visitors can expect to see the latest uEye camera platforms alongside event-based imaging, 3D vision solutions, and AI-driven embedded vision technology.
Jan Hartmann, Managing Partner at IDS, notes that computer vision today needs to go beyond simply capturing images — what matters is how fast an idea can turn into a working application, and how smoothly cameras, software and AI functions fit into existing systems. That philosophy shapes IDS’s product strategy: rather than offering closed, turnkey systems, the company builds modular hardware and software that customers can combine to fit their own needs, backed by long-term availability and support up to fully custom solutions. Close collaboration with customers and partners feeds directly back into development, helping IDS refine existing products, grow its portfolio, and move new ideas into real-world use faster.
New products and technologies at VISION 2026
With almost three decades of experience building industrial cameras and vision components, IDS is centering this year’s presence on its next-generation uEye vision camera platforms — the technical foundation for upcoming 2D industrial camera lines, built for stronger performance, straightforward integration and long product lifecycles.
Event-based imaging is another major theme. Working alongside Prophesee, IDS will showcase progress in event-based camera technology, which is especially well suited to fast-moving use cases such as drones, AGVs and autonomous systems — including object detection, tracking and safe navigation.
On the 3D side, IDS is introducing updates to its Nion ToF camera, including a new RGB set that synchronizes color and depth capture. The company is also unveiling a new version of the Ensenso N active stereo vision series, aimed at precise, robust 3D data capture for robotics, bin picking and measurement applications.
Rounding out the roadmap are AI cameras and embedded vision systems: IDS is adding AI-enabled models to its uEye Live monitoring camera line, opening the door to edge-based AI image processing. High-performance neural networks developed with partner DENKweit handle tasks like fast object and position detection, precise parcel handling and efficient code reading.
A look at innovation projects
Among the standout projects is the “GMSL Multi-Camera Vision System,” which shows how embedded vision can process and merge images from several cameras — each with its own integrated ISP and SoC — directly within the system, sending the combined result over a single GMSL cable. The result is lower latency and reduced data load, a solid foundation for projects built around distributed GMSL cameras, particularly in mobile applications.
A second project highlights fully camera-integrated active focus control, with adjustment and feedback managed entirely through software — robust hardware built for demanding logistics, autonomous-system and retail environments.
For agricultural applications, IDS is presenting an NDVI camera that pairs multispectral imaging with high-resolution color capture, revealing plant health through reliable NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) readings that support more precise planning and resource use.
VISION Makeathon 2026
The VISION Makeathon 2026 turns ideas into working prototypes, as interdisciplinary teams spend a single day developing practical answers to current image-processing challenges. IDS is taking part as a project partner, contributing its own challenge along with technology and expert guidance.