Robot training data from the ceramic plants of Morbi
Morbi is India's biggest centre for ceramic tiles, and it makes sanitaryware and wall clocks too. The presses and kilns are automated, but a lot of the work around them is still done by hand. We record it during normal shifts, as egocentric video and multi-view footage of tiles being graded and packed and basins being finished and checked.
The hand work
People still stand at the end of the tile lines. Sorters look at each tile as it comes off, spot cracks, chips and shade differences, and move it to the right stack. Packers lift tiles in sets, square them up, slide them into boxes and stack the boxes on pallets. Tiles are heavy, flat and sharp at the edges, so how people grip and turn them matters.
Sanitaryware takes more handling. Cast pieces come out of the moulds soft, and workers trim the seams, sponge the surfaces smooth, spray glaze and load the pieces onto kiln cars. After firing, inspectors check every piece for cracks by eye and, in many plants, by tapping it and listening to the ring.
Morbi's wall clock units do a different kind of work: small-part assembly, fitting movements, hands, dials and glass, then packing. If you need both heavy and fine handling, one town covers it.
Where we record
- Morbi
- Tile and sanitaryware plants of every size, and the wall clock units the town is also known for. Sorting, packing, finishing and assembly.
Capture setups
- Chest camera
- Steadier than a head mount for people who lift and turn heavy tiles all shift.
- Head camera
- Best for inspection, where what matters is where the worker looks.
- Multi-view rig
- Fixed cameras around a sorting station or packing table, so you can reconstruct how both hands and the tile move in 3D.
- Your own hardware
- Depth cameras, sensor gloves or anything else you send, set up and run by our crew.
- Labels
- Step boundaries such as lift, inspect, sort and box, which stack each tile went to, hand keypoints and a short description of each action.
Consent and privacy
Every worker who appears in the footage signs an informed consent form, and every plant signs an agreement covering what we record and how it can be used.
Ceramic plants are hot, dusty and loud, with forklifts and kiln cars moving around. We agree camera positions with the supervisor first and keep mounts clear of moving equipment. Faces, brand names on boxes and anything else the plant asks for can be blurred before delivery.
Start with a pilot
Tell us which tasks you need recorded, the camera setup and the labels you want. We'll reply with questions and a plan for a pilot: a few hours of footage first, so you can check the quality before committing to more.