What is HYDRA?
Modern technology in machine vision
In the face of dynamic changes in the manufacturing industry, companies are increasingly confronted with challenges such as labor shortages, rising production costs, pressure to eliminate quality defects, and the need for digitalization.
The answer to these challenges is HYDRA – an advanced technology used to develop modular vision systems that deliver scalability, flexibility, and readiness to operate under changing market conditions.
Solutions based on HYDRA analyze images and can leverage artificial intelligence (AI) for image analysis, enabling applications in quality control and beyond. Thanks to these capabilities, Scanway’s vision systems see more than the human eye, learn the processes occurring on production lines, and are able to detect anomalies.
A solution to the industry’s most pressing challenges
HYDRA was developed in response to the four greatest challenges faced by manufacturing companies:
01. Lack of workers
02. Short production runs and frequent retooling
03. Losses resulting from quality errors
04. Need for data collection and analysis as part of digitalization
What is HYDRA?
Modern technology in machine vision
Our technology has been designed with scalability in mind, enabling rapid deployment of advanced vision systems without the need to build everything from scratch each time.
One of HYDRA’s most important features is its flexible analytical layer. The framework combines our proprietary algorithms with ready-made models (including commercial ones or those provided by the client), eliminating the need to build the entire solution from scratch. Its flexible structure allows efficient integration of new detection or classification engines, as well as handling data streams simultaneously coming from multiple cameras, illuminators, and auxiliary sensors.
Hydra
Core
the technological heart of the system, integrating previously developed solutions.
Applications
ready solutions for specific quality and production challenges.
Customization area
enabling full adaptation to the client’s conditions and expectations.
Thanks to this structure, HYDRA is 80% a ready-made solution that can be quickly deployed while maintaining flexibility to perfectly fit the client’s production line requirements. Additionally, HYDRA allows for the expansion of any implemented system with new functionalities as production demands evolve over time.
Scalability Without the Need to Increase Staffing
In the traditional approach, each new implementation of a vision system requires significant involvement from both the client’s and the supplier’s project teams and often borders on R&D work. HYDRA breaks this pattern. Instead of engaging in individual projects, we can scale the solution practically without increasing human resources — both in Poland and in international markets — thereby executing many demanding vision projects simultaneously.
Examples of HYDRA Applications
HYDRA is not just pure technology — it comprises concrete products that deliver real results in industry:
The vision system for can inspection detects up to 12 different types of defects. This turnkey solution is based on a multi-camera system, with the client deciding which anomalies should be monitored.
The vision system for inspecting protein casings in food production precisely detects two categories of defects (inclusions and discolorations). Black high-contrast inclusions are detected from sizes of 3 mm, while white spots, air pockets, and dents are detected from 5 mm. The client has the ability to continuously adjust the parameters, allowing the system to be tailored to specific product references.
Direction: SaaS and Out-of-Production Analysis
In the next stages of its development, HYDRA will enable the analysis of data from outside manufacturing plants, such as satellite imagery. It will support a Software as a Service (SaaS) model — an off-the-shelf solution ready for deployment, yet flexible and customizable to the specific needs of each client, with options to enable or disable functionalities depending on current production requirements.
Summary
Although HYDRA was developed in the industrial sector, it draws on the experience Scanway gained by creating advanced optical systems for satellite missions. Thanks to this extensive knowledge and the large amount of collected data, HYDRA has become a scalable technological platform ready for application across various industries.
Our solutions
Modular vision systems designed for quality control in industrial environments.
CUMULUS
A group of static vision systems designed for quality inspection
of individual objects moving at high speed along a production line.
Each item is subjected to real-time image analysis,
enabling precise verification of compliance with process requirements.
STRATUS
STRATUS is a group of stationary vision systems designed for the inspection of continuous raw material.
The systems analyze the web across its entire width, ensuring full real-time quality control.
The raw material moves at high speed along the production conveyor, while the systems remain stationary.
NIMBUS
NIMBUS is a group of advanced vision systems designed for the analysis of stationary objects, with the capability for system mobility. These solutions are dedicated for integration with robotic applications, including those operating outside the production line.
CIRRUS
CIRRUS is a group of vision systems designed to assess objects moving chaotically across large areas.
The systems analyze and predict changes in the observed terrain, finding applications primarily in satellite image analysis.