This is a Sources Sought Notice only. This Sources Sought Notice does not constitute an Invitation for Bids, Request for Proposals, or a Request for Quotations, and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue an order or otherwise pay for the information solicited, nor is it a guarantee of a forthcoming solicitation or contract. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is for market research purposes only. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. The USDA/Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is conducting market research to support the USDA/ARS/NEA, Food Quality Research Laboratory, Beltsville, MD location. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMNT Unique features: Surround LED lighting in photography studio box with top and side camera access, 360 degree turntable, multichannel data acquisition for integrating image capture, editing and 360 degree stitching, repeater kit for camera stability, compatibility with image acquisition using Canon EOS R, compatibility with MIPAR image analysis software, computer controlled image capture compatible with Windows 10 PC. There are no other instruments on the market that are compatible to work together in this way to provide seamless professional image capture, 3D stitching, and advanced machine learning image analysis to support sensory analysis, quality evaluation of foods, consumer preference, and data aquisition that may support artificial intelligence applications. This instrument is uniquely best suited to advance the mission of FQL and to support government applications. 1) Meets minimal laboratory requirements: -Instrument dimensions must be 45.3 x 39.4 x 48.4” with interior dimensions capable of allowing for various angled photograpy with item sizes of 29.5 x 29.5” for top shots, 29.5 x 29.5 x 33.5” for side shots, and 24 x 24 x 33.5” for 360 shots. -Max object weight that can be photographed must be 70 pounds. -Light quality must be from LED lights: CRI 95+, color temp 5700K, and bulb life of 50,000 hours -Must be compatible with Windows 10 PC with GPU of NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Graphics w/ 16GB GDDR6. -Must be compatible with Canon EOS R camera. -Must have repeater kit that can be mounted to light box to stabilize camera and take photos from top or side view. When it comes to capturing product photos with uniform accuracy and consistency, the repeatable kit is a vital tool that was designed specifically for dramatically improving workflow and efficiency. The 6 piece kit is conveniently equipped with adjustable height and distance markers – a feature that provides users with the ability to easily lock-in and log the exact positioning of their camera’s setup. -Must have lifetime tech support. - Must have embedded 360 turntable – Patented, bottom lit, edge-driven and transparent -Must have advanced lighting control - Large dynamic range -Must have fine dimming control from the front left, front right, bottom, back and top -Must be repeatable and consistent -Must have high color accuracy -Must have fast 360 image capture -Must have capacity to take top and side shots -Must have side door for easy product placement -Must have wheels to roll and legs to level -Must maximize photography output - Reuse best settings to automate photography -Must simultaneously save images for omni channel use - Must have capacity to create workflows for consistent capture at specific angles -Must maximize product display options - Create professional photos, 360 product views and videos -Must be able to take product shots on pure white -Must be able to take pictures on transparent backgrounds. Replace background with a specific color, image or natural shadow -Must have what you see is what you get image capture -Must produce quality images to reduce / eliminate image editing -Must be simple to learn and use -Instrument must have the ability to take professional photos, 360 product views, and capture 360 video on pure white and transparent backgrounds for eCommerce quality digital images. -Instrument must have capability to place object inside photobox, use software and compatible camera to compose, capture, and view images in real time. -Must have capacity to take lifestyle shots and videos, which may include cutting/peeling fruit or other activities -Lights must be LED and have controls that allow for dimming of lights. -Must come with a transparent 360 photography turntable for creating still and 360 product views on pure white and transparent backgrounds. -Must have capability to capture hundreds of projects per day with unlimited product display options. -Software must control the lights, camera, turntable and entire product photography workflow. Should allow to place a product inside, watch the real-time preview change as camera and light settings are adjusted to compose the picture, then one click to take a picture or initiate a 360, video or custom capture sequence. -Must provide afterImage feature for consistent product placement -Must have intuitive batch editing, processing and saving -Must have ability to automatically save and reuse best camera, turntable and light settings -Must have various outputs of JPG, PNG, TIFF, RAW, HTML5, GIF, MOV and MP4 files -Must have bottom lit turntable and dimmable lighting environment to easily create amazing stills, 360 degree product views ad videos. The pictures should have high quality, automatically. Should be easy to use regardless of experience to create web-ready 360 animations and interactive videos in minutes. Must include 360 stitching software offers 1,000s of ways to present your products more effectively. Save your results directly to the cloud for immediate use and sharing. -The imaging software must come with capablity to stitch 2D 360 degree images into 3D images -The system must come with lifetime technical support. 2) Efficiency, durability - This system has lifetime tech support, with a heavy duty structure that will last a long time. 3) Essential for research - The Otery 3D Photobench 280 is essential for the food quality research conducted in our laboratory, as the product will be used for advanced machine vision technology studies which may lead to artificial intelligence eCommerce studies, quality studies, and sensory studies. Responses should include: Organization Name, Address, Contact Phone Number, E-mail Address, and Web Site Address. Business Size. (Small business versus Large business), other socio-economic categories such as Section 8(a), Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUB-Zone), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB). DUNS Number and CAGE code. Tailored capability statements addressing the salient characteristics listed, with appropriate documentation supporting capability. Responses to this Notice must be in writing. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. Interested parties should e-mail responses to
[email protected] on or before Wednesday, September 2, 2020 no later than 1:00 pm CDT. Hard copies of the responses are not required and will not be accepted.