Cameras have been deployed in factories for over a decade - so why, Franz Tschimben wondered, hasn't automated visual inspection yet become the worldwide standard?
This question motivated Tschimben and his colleagues to found Covision Quality, an AI-based visual-inspection software startup that uses NVIDIA technology to transform end-of-line defect detection for the manufacturing industry.
The simple answer is that these systems are hard to scale, said Tschimben, the northern Italy-based company's CEO. Material defects, like burrs, holes or scratches, have varying geometric shapes and colors that make identifying them cumbersome. That meant quality-control specialists had to program inspection systems by hand to fine-tune their defect parameters.
Covision's software allows users to train AI models for visual inspection without needing to code. It quadruples accuracy for defect detection and reduces false-negative rates by up to 90% compared with traditional rule-based methods, according to Tschimben.
The software relies on unsupervised machine learning that's trained on NVIDIA RTX A5000 GPUs. This technique allows the AI in just one hour to teach itself, based on hundreds of example images, what qualifies as a defect for a specific customer. It removes the extensive labeling of thousands of images that's typically required for a supervised learning pipeline.
The startup is a member of NVIDIA Metropolis - a partner ecosystem centered on vision AI that includes a suite of GPU-accelerated software development kits, pretrained models and the TAO toolkit to supercharge a range of automation applications. Covision is also part of NVIDIA Inception, a free, global program that nurtures cutting-edge startups.
In June, Covision was chosen from hundreds of emerging companies as the winner of a startup award at Automate, a flagship conference on all things automation.
Reducing Pseudo-Scrap Rates In manufacturing, the pseudo-scrap rate - or the frequency at which products are falsely identified as defective - is a key indicator of a visual-inspection system's efficiency.
Covision's software, which is hardware agnostic, reduces pseudo-scrap rates by up to 90%, according to Tschimben.
As an item passes through a production line, a camera captures an image of it. Then, Covision's real-time AI model analyzes it. Finally, it sends the information to a simple user interface that displays image frames: green for good pieces and red for defective ones.
For GKN Powder Metallurgy, a global producer of 13 million metal parts each day, the above steps can occur in as quick as 200 milliseconds per piece - enabled by Covision software and NVIDIA GPUs deployed at the production line.
Two to six cameras usually inspect one production line at a factory, Tschimben said. And one NVIDIA A5000 GPU on premises can process the images from four production lines in real time.
NVIDIA GPUs are robust and reliable, he added. The TensorRT SDK and CUDA toolkit enable our developers to use the latest resources to build our platform, and the Metropolis program helps us with go-to-market strategy - NVIDIA is a one-stop solution for us.
Plus, being an Inception member gives Covision access to free credits for NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute courses, which Tschimben said are very helpful hands-on resources for the company's engineers to stay up to date on the latest NVIDIA tech.
Increasing Efficiency, Sustainability in Industrial Production In addition to identifying defective pieces at production lines, Covision software offers a management panel that displays AI-based data analyses of improvements in a production site's quality of outputs over time - and more.
It can show, for example, which site out of a company's many across the world is producing the best metal pieces with the highest production-line uptime, or which production line within a factory needs attention at a given moment, Tschimben said.
This feature can help managers make high-level decisions to optimize factory efficiency, globally.
There's also a sustainability factor, Tschimben said. Companies want to reduce waste. Our software reduces production inefficiencies, increasing sustainability and making the work more streamlined.
Reducing pseudo-scrap rates using Covision software means that companies can produce materials at higher efficiency and profitability levels, and ultimately waste less.
Covision software is deployed at production sites across the U.S. and Europe for customers including Alupress Group and Aluflexpack, in addition to GKN Powder Metallurgy.
Learn more about NVIDIA Metropolis and apply to join NVIDIA Inception.
Attend NVIDIA GTC, running online Sept.19-22, to discover how vision AI and other groundbreaking technologies are shaping the world.
North America Stories
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
12/11/2026
uniqFEED has opened a Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Madrid, Spain. It is already operational, delivering virtual advertising for LaLiga matches. The ROC is ...
12/11/2026
Disney, ESPN and the NBA will present Dunk the Halls, the third real-time animated NBA game using Sony's Beyond Sports data visualization technology, on Chr...
12/11/2026
Van Wagner has launched Van Wagner RELAY, a digital platform for official athlet...
12/11/2026
Deal brings together two of the industry's most established graphics brands and significantly expands Vizrt's footprint in U.S. sports and regional broa...
12/11/2026
Euro TV Production GmbH of Austria has upgraded its outside broadcast vehicle with Lawo technology. The mc 36 Classic console in service since 2019 was replaced...
12/11/2026
Tagboard has launched Spark Resize, an AI-assisted tool now in beta that takes an existing graphic and produces a new version for a different aspect ratio or sc...
12/11/2026
Ben Winston, Glenn Weiss, and FIFA's Jenni-Lee Van Gelder headlined a day fo...
12/11/2026
Free interactive platform visualizes team tendencies, formations, and schemes, updated weekly...
12/11/2026
Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Charlie Jablonski's broadcasting career is...
12/11/2026
Gracenote's 2026 State of Play report signals a rising retention risk: More ...
Cameras have been deployed in factories for over a decade - so why, Franz Tschimben wondered, hasn't automated visual inspection yet become the worldwide standard?
