Learning how to make computers see the obvious for us.
Ryan
Experience Information
Employer: Active Inspection
Job Title: Computer Engineering Co-op Student
Major: Computer Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Active Inspection develops material inspection systems used in industrial manufacturing processes. These systems are used to automatically identify manufacturing defects, allowing manufacturers to identify and fix process issues more reliably in less time.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
Developed methods to extract useful information from a variety of materials such as plastic filaments and steel beams. Investigated and integrated new defect classification techniques using a variety of machine learning algorithms.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
Computer vision techniques used for image processing. Applications for machine learning techniques. Improved software design through test driven development.
Favorite Part of the Experience
The work that I did this semester was much larger in scope than in the previous semester. I got to learn a wide variety of image processing and classification techniques and how to apply them to real world applications. My supervisor was very encouraging, taking the time to walk through the theories with me when I didn't understand them. Unlike many interns, I got the opportunity to participate in the higher level design decisions in our products.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
I got a lot of exposure to the computer vision and machine learning fields this semester. It is amazing what information computers can glean from images. It is even more amazing how hard you have to work to train them to be able to do that. These subjects are fascinating and I would definitely consider continuing to work in this field.