The articles in this Test Report address less common inspection techniques. Although the techniques have received press coverage, their proponents often cite a lack of understanding of both their advantages and the economics of their implementation as impediments to adoption.

Most familiar, perhaps, GigE Vision has gained considerable momentum. It treads familiar ground, migrating formerly hardware-bound tasks to software, paradoxically making them both more flexible and more application specific.

Infrared inspection continues in the shadows. According to Chris Bainter, senior science segment engineer at FLIR Systems, misconceptions about its capability and cost largely confine it to the development lab or design verification.

New approaches may sometimes replace older ones, but they may also supplement existing ones. Considering all alternatives encourages the most effective (and cost-effective) strategic choices.