Who needs strain gauges when you’ve got one of these?

Notice the speckle pattern paint on this piece of a bumper? It’s not there for looks. There are two cameras next to the lights in the background that form a stereoscopic image of the DUT as it flexes. Specifically, they note the change in position of the specks as the part moves, then a computer calculates strain from the position change. The setup, from Trilion Quality Systems, is called Aramis and implements digital image correlation and dynamic 3D photogrammetry. The resulting data can be used to determine material properties and validates FEA models, since deformation and strain data are in CAD coordinates. www.trilion.com/ARAMIS
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