QualiSense wins EIT BoostUp! Europe 2023 award

The award is organised by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) to help find solutions for contemporary industrial challenges and build links between innovative start-ups and industrial corporates.

QualiSense is a mature start up in the visual inspection industry and seized the opportunity to develop a solution for Dana Incorporated, an American supplier of axles, driveshafts, transmissions and digital equipment for conventional, hybrid and electric-powered vehicles. Dana was looking to implement an in-line automatic vision system to replace the visual inspection on the axles, which is currently performed 100% by manual inspectors.

QualiSense was among the companies that submitted detailed proposals to help solve the problem. After winning a place on the initial shortlist, the company submitted a proof of concept (PoC), showcasing in detail the full plan for their technological solution. As part of the award for winning the competition, QualiSense will receive a grant funding to implement its innovative technology for Dana Inc.

The main challenge Dana had been facing was the risk of delivering axles with incorrectly assembled components as a result of errors made during manual visual inspection. The company had previously tried installing cameras and other visual inspection hardware, but owing to the axles swinging on the chain during towing, the system did not work properly.

Dana was therefore looking for a solution that would be able to perform an axle-flange BOM conformity test in a fully and one hundred percent accurate automation process. QualiSense’s solution involves the implementation of its Augmented AI system to validate the correct flange on the assembly line. The system will ‘‘learn’’ all the flange types and use AI to validate the conformity of the flange before assembly.

Erez Tsur, Co-founder and CEO of QualiSense, arrived in Geneva to receive the award in person. “We can now solve more of the complex challenges in visual inspection through augmented AI and we are delighted to be able to have the opportunity to work with Dana Inc and share the benefits of our technology,” commented Erez. “This award is fantastic recognition for the work of our engineers in pushing frontiers of AI in defect detection and a testament to the tireless efforts of our dedicated team and the transformative potential of our augmented AI platform.

"The EIT Boost Up! 2023 victory marks a significant milestone in QualiSense's journey, propelling the company to new heights of innovation and solidifying its position as a trailblazer in the field of augmented AI.”

Gianluca Grifi, Senior Program Manager with EIT Manufacturing, was particularly impressed with the technology and the proposed solution. ‘‘QualiSense’s Augmented AI solution is a perfect for the quality requirements of Dana Inc and will ensure that their customers get the best products. QualiSense’s advanced AI visual inspection solution, backed by an excellent team and founders that are dedicated to critical industrial sectors like automotive, will have a huge impact. I am glad that Dana and the other evaluators were of the same opinion — it is a perfect match."