National Research Council Canada & InnovMetric Software Inc.

Technology Transfer Award

For the successful development and transfer of 3D data analysis technologies that led to the commercialization of inspection methods based on three-dimensional measurements of real objects

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One of the National Research Council Canada’s greatest successes in the commercialization of federal technology spans more than two decades of continuous discovery that evolved from a single invention. In 1985, NRC Visual Information Technology researchers at the Institute for Information Technology (NRC-IIT) constructed a laser scanner capable of inspecting manufactured parts to determine if they complied with geometric specifications. Building on that technology, the team then developed computer software tools to process the data and, by the late 1990s, a dimensional inspection station prototype that enabled geometric analysis and comparison between the three-dimensional models and ideal or existing measurements.

Integration of these technologies allowed NRC and its Quebec-based partner, InnovMetric Software Inc., to accelerate development of the company’s dimensional inspection products. The synergy of the research and development relationship between the two partners is a textbook case of collaborative teamwork. Through a series of seven licensing agreements since 1994, InnovMetric rapidly became a world-leader in the field of 3D data analysis technologies, with a client list that includes industry giants in the automotive, aerospace and manufacturing sectors such as Honda, Rolls Royce and NASA. By reciprocal agreement, NRC uses InnovMetric’s core product to expand 3D technologies beyond manufacturing fields, including a scientific scan in 2004 of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Mona Lisa.

Team Members

Pierre Boulanger
Luc Cournoyer
Jacques Domey
Guy Godin
Michel Picard
Chang Shu
National Research Council Canada

Marc Soucy
InnovMetric Software Inc.