The Stevanto Group (Piombino Dese, Italy) announced today that it is launching a modular, robotic inspection system that incorporates AI with accrued machine learning capabilities.

The company boasts that its Vision Robot Unit (VRU) is able to automatically and reliably inspect both cosmetic and particle properties without human intervention.

The VRU has a patent-pending design that incorporates a “plug and play” concept with a freely configurable infeed and outfeed. It’s possible to add multiple vision inspection units to increase throughput. The no glass-to-glass inspection process mitigates the likelihood of product damage or breakage.

AI technology enables the VRU to improve inspection performance, quickly reacting to changing product characteristics including active ingredient variations, differing fill levels and different containers. It can adapt and learn.

The Stevanto Group describes the VRI as ideal for a broad array of applications in the pharma development and manufacturing landscape, including biotech products such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), vaccines and lyophilized drugs. Suitable for inspecting high-value products, the machine can be employed both in laboratory settings and for small batch production.

“Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly looking for flexible solutions incorporating the most advanced technologies,” said Raffaele Pace, engineering head of operations at Stevanato Group. “Our novel Vision Robot Unit is a breakthrough solution, as it addresses some of today’s operational challenges by providing a fully automatic and extremely accurate control process for complex drugs.”