Machine vision solutions provider Pyramid Imaging Inc. has received a VisualApplets Competence Center designation for the U.S., enabling Pyramid to consult with and provide support for users of Silicon Software’s VisualApplets software for the graphical programming of field-programmable gate array (FPGA) vision processors. “Silicon Software’s technology is very unique and revolutionary,” said Rex Lee, president of Pyramid Imaging. “Their technology allows programming Xilinx FPGAs without knowledge of any FPGA hardware description language. Thus, nonexperts can have Xilinx FPGAs programmed for real-time image processing in days rather than in months using traditional hardware description language programming.” VisualApplets allows for rapid development of embedded vision applications for the machine vision industry. Any application requiring high-bandwidth solutions or low-size, weight and power solutions will benefit due to the elimination of frame grabbers or by greatly reducing existing CPU requirements, given that most of the image processing can be done on the FPGA in the grabber. Pyramid Imaging was one of 28 companies internationally to earn the certification, which is valid for two years. Pyramid Imaging is a franchise-authorized distributor, value-added reseller, integrator, and an OEM for machine vision solutions, video imaging components, and systems.