SiLC Technologies, a Monrovia-based silicon photonics maker, has launched its laser line scanner, Eyeonic Trace, which can scan and determine the size of different objects.

The scanner is another offering from the “machine vision” company that’s aiming to update machines from simply performing tasks to being able to assess their surroundings the way a human would. The new scanner is aimed at automating warehouses and industrial environments by scanning objects on conveyor belts, elevators and assembly lines. It’s also the first of SiLCs offerings to be a fully turnkey product.

“What we’re seeing in mobility related to machine vision that is human-like and predictive is following suit in industrial automation, warehouse operations, robotics and manufacturing,” Mehdi Asghari, the president and chief executive of SiLC Technologies, said in a statement. 

SiLC is one of the many companies basking in Silicon Valley’s recent obsession with manufacturing and industrials. In 2024, Southern California companies saw 30% of machine vision funding in the U.S., according to Pitchbook. SiLC Technologies was part of that wave – the company received an undisclosed funding sum from Honda Xcelerator Ventures in September to help the car manufacturer use machine vision to avoid traffic collisions.

“Honda is striving for zero traffic collision fatalities involving our motorcycles and automobiles globally by 2050,” Manabu Ozawa, managing executive officer at Honda Motor Co., Ltd. said in a statement. “We believe that SiLC’s advanced LiDAR technology will become an important technology for us.”

SiLC Technologies was founded in 2018 to harness photons, the particles that make up light, to create sensing technology. Sensing technology has long been important to warehouses – it can determine the most optimal number of packages, in the most optimal arrangement, to fit as many boxes as possible on a delivery truck. It can also help stores manage inventory and capacity. 

Production for the sensor is scheduled for the second half of 2025.