How can Industry Use Television?

The applications that have been discussed above are representative of the more important industrial uses which have been found for industrial television equipment in the first few years since its inception. Undoubtedly many other applications are presently hidden by security requirements and by temporary competitive advantages which the user will not reveal. The broad industrial base gained by television since its pioneering stage, will undoubtedly lead to an increasing number of applications. Particularly in the fields of medicine and education, many additional applications will become available. Technical improvements are also indicated, as the equipment is adapted to meet a growing market in specific industries. An example of a future development which will further increase the usefulness of industrial television to industry is the direct application of the television signal to a specific control or inspection function, without the use of a picture display. This will provide visual inspection for many products while eliminating the tiring task and resulting errors of the inspector. Laboratory tests on bulk products such as chemicals and flour indicate that specks of foreign matter in these materials can be readily detected. Further developments are necessary to perfect a commercially acceptable system. At the present time television signals can only be transmitted over microwave equipment or coaxial cable. Both methods are relatively expensive. The reduction in these costs that would result from adapting television equipment for transmission over ordinary telephone lines, would open many additional applications.