Cognex Corporation is an American manufacturer of machine vision systems, software and sensors used in automated manufacturing to inspect and identify parts, detect defects, verify product assembly, and guide assembly robots. Cognex is headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, USA and has offices in more than 20 countries. The company's flagship product, the In-Sight series, is a line of industrial cameras that are used to automatically inspect products on manufacturing lines. Cognex is publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the symbol CGNX. The company was founded in 1981 by Robert J. Shillman, who is still the chairman of the board and chief culture officer.