Improving visual inspection using binocular rivalry

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.