The GIO (Graphical Interactive Operator) device is used with Meta’s Smart Laser Pilot robot guidance systems to change Smart Sensor parameters, to monitor operations, and to assist with troubleshooting. It is of value during production by displaying the joint profile generated by the sensor, by presenting measurements obtained from the joint profile, and to manually turn the laser on and off.

Meta’s new GIO now runs Windows 10 and connects using Power over Ethernet (PoE) and a regular Ethernet cable of up to 100 meters in length; no other power is required. Previously, the GIO required a special cable limited to 50 meters.

An exciting and productive addition to the new GIO is the ability to record Smart Sensor profiles. By default, the new GIO records all profiles whenever the sensor is in use. This ensures that profiles of problem joints are recorded immediately, as and when they occur. This is much like a dashboard camera in an automobile that records issues as and when they occur. While it has always been possible to record profiles using a laptop connected to the sensor, the laptop would have to be connected to the sensor at the precise time when a problem occurred. Often times, this meant having to try and recreate problems at a latter time to record profiles of problem joints. Now, with the new GIO, profiles are always recorded and are available immediately for analysis and troubleshooting, saving time and headaches. The provision to easily copy profiles to a USB stick or flash drive is also provided.

New GIOs come as options to new Smart Laser Pilot systems. If a new GIO is being considered for use with older Smart Laser Pilot systems, the older systems will need to be retrofitted with a PoE injector to be compatible with the new GIO.