To design inspection systems for modern manufacturing conditions, an approp
riate mix of human and computer abilities is required. Human inspectors are
not very effective at the Search function of inspection, meaning that sear
ch tasks are more suited to automated vision systems. We assessed a novel v
isual technique-binocular rivalry arising from stereo viewing conditions-to
enhance human search performance. A sequence of three inspection experimen
ts was used to determine whether binocular rivalry is practical and effecti
ve. An initial study using circuit board images showed a small but signific
ant effect of binocular fusion. A second study using simulated material wit
h excellent registration between the left and right images showed binocular
rivalry to increase performance considerably. Binocular rivalry also remov
ed any negative effect of inspecting for multiple defects simultaneously. T
he third study returned to realistic inspected items, but ensured good regi
stration by placing images on a computer screen. This study again showed th
e superiority of binocular rivalry. There was no unusual visual strain from
stereo viewing. Together, these studies allow us to delineate the conditio
ns under which the benefits of binocular rivalry can be exploited in qualit
y control practice.