Specialty Tracks — Roadmap

Six core PhotoRobot Academy tracks teach you to operate, manage, integrate, and instruct. Specialty tracks teach you what changes when PhotoRobot is applied to a specific product domain — 3D modeling, OCR-heavy workflows, fashion motion, medical documentation, large textiles. They stack on top of a foundational cert; they don’t replace it.

What specialty tracks are

The six core tracks (Operator, Studio Manager, Integrator, Network Specialist, Hardware Specialist, Certified Instructor) are horizontal — they teach a role applicable across any PhotoRobot studio.

Specialty tracks are vertical. Each teaches how PhotoRobot is applied to a specific product domain with that domain’s tooling, regulations, customer expectations, and workflows.

You stack a specialty on top of a foundational cert:

PhotoRobot Certified Operator
        +
PhotoRobot Certified OCR Specialist
        =
PhotoRobot Certified Operator (Specialty: OCR)

Specialty tracks assume you already have PhotoRobot operational fluency — they’re add-on credentials, not standalone entry points. Operator Standard remains the entry point for everyone.

Five specialty tracks planned

All five are designed (see the internal design proposal) and waiting for sequenced implementation. The release order reflects customer demand signal + content build cost — OCR is cheapest (builds directly on I04) so ships first; Carpet has the smallest audience so ships last.

OCR Specialist ✅ LIVE in v0.36.0

Audience: Customers in retail planogram workflows, pharmaceutical packaging audit, regulatory product documentation. Already partially covered in I04 — OCR & Custom Data Extraction; this specialty adds depth.

Prerequisite: Integrator Essentials (OCR is integration-heavy)

3 new modules + I04 reused:

• SPOCR01 — Domain-Specific OCR Patterns (75 min) — Retail planogram OCR, pharmaceutical labeling OCR, GS1 compliance flows, multi-language OCR, industry-specific dictionaries + accuracy tuning
• SPOCR02 — Quality Thresholds + Manual Review Workflows (60 min) — Confidence scoring, threshold tuning, manual review UI patterns, production OCR metrics (accuracy, completeness, throughput)
• SPOCR03 — Compliance + Audit Trail (60 min) — Regulatory contexts (FDA, EU MDR, REACH, RoHS labels), chain-of-custody discipline, audit-ready OCR records, compliance failure modes + recovery

Cert exam: 30 weighted questions, 60 min, 70 % pass. Refresh: 15 questions, 30 min, 75 % pass.

3D Modeling Specialist ✅ LIVE in v0.37.0

Audience: Studios offering e-commerce 3D / AR / VR products. Automotive (interactive 3D car visualizers), fashion (footwear / accessories 3D rotation), industrial (machinery 3D documentation).

Prerequisite: Operator Standard OR Integrator Essentials (depending on role)

4 new modules:

• SP3D01 — From 360° to 3D: Pipeline Architecture (90 min) — Photogrammetry vs depth-fusion vs hybrid approaches, output formats (GLB, USDZ, OBJ, FBX), quality dimensions, when 3D is overkill vs underkill
• SP3D02 — Capture Discipline for 3D Reconstruction (75 min) — Lighting requirements for reconstruction-grade captures, camera angle coverage, calibration targets, background separation, pre-shot checklist
• SP3D03 — Post-Capture Pipeline + Quality Control (75 min) — Reconstruction software options, PhotoRobot’s integration patterns, QC criteria, common failure modes (thin geometry, reflective materials), iteration cycles
• SP3D04 — Integration + Delivery (60 min) — Embedding 3D models (model-viewer, Sketchfab, custom WebGL), file size optimization, mobile AR delivery (USDZ + glTF), analytics

Cert exam: 30 weighted questions, 60 min, 70 % pass. Refresh: 15 questions, 30 min, 75 % pass.

PINK Specialist ✅ LIVE in v0.38.0 (rewritten v0.44.4–v0.44.6)

Audience: Clinics operating the PINK device — a specialized PhotoRobot system for clinical mastectomy photography (pre- and post-operative). PINK was manufactured in five units, deployed to selected clinics. This track is the operator certification for the small fleet running these systems.

Prerequisite: Operator Standard + B02 Safety

4 modules:

• SPMED01 — PINK Device & Kiosk (Wizard) Mode (75 min) — What PINK is + components, kiosk wizard step-by-step, clinic config vs operator preference, device states + alerts, daily rhythm, escalation paths
• SPMED02 — Patient Communication + Data Anonymization (60 min) — Calm-brief-informational posture, pre-session briefing, reading the room, at-source anonymization (face mask + metadata strip), verification + failure handling
• SPMED03 — Patient Safety on the Turntable (60 min) — Pre-session prep, patient entry incl. mobility-impaired adaptations, body-language scanning, pause / stop / emergency-stop classification, infection-control reset, special-needs profiles
• SPMED04 — Remote-Physician Videocall + Clinical Documentation (45 min) — Integrated videocall module + privacy boundary, operator facilitate-don’t-participate role, stepping out, technical issue recovery, session record closeout with operator-scope notes

Cert exam: 35 questions, 9/9/8/9 weighting across SPMED01–04. 75 min, 75 % pass (higher than 70 % of other specialty tracks — patient-facing clinical context). Refresh: 20 questions, 40 min, 80 % pass. 2-year validity.

Scope clarification: This is device operator certification — focused on running the PINK system correctly, communicating with the patient, and handling clinical-context device responsibilities. It does not cover broader regulatory affairs (medical device submissions, FDA / CE / MDR processes) — those belong to the clinic’s own RA / QA function. It also does not replace clinical care training — patient handling, dignity, infection control beyond the device’s reset protocol, and country-specific privacy law are the clinic’s responsibility. PhotoRobot Academy stays in the operator + device-discipline lane.

Delivery: 2-day intensive at PhotoRobot Klecany (pre-installation prep) OR on-site at the clinic post-installation. Online standalone insufficient — hands-on with the device + patient interaction discipline is required for the cert.

Virtual Catwalk Specialist (v0.39.0 → v0.45.4 factual rework — LIVE)

Audience: Operators and studio managers at fashion-oriented PhotoRobot studios running or planning the PhotoRobot Catwalk — a motorized rotating platform (Ø 2.8 m, 7 × 7 m studio footprint, 1 500 kg load, AC 230 V) with an integrated treadmill belt. Apparel + footwear + accessory brands wanting runway-feel motion content for e-commerce + social + virtual fashion shows + VR / AR experiences.

Prerequisite: Operator Standard + Studio Manager Essentials

Track scope (4 modules, ~4.5 hours):

• SPVC01 — Catwalk Device + Workflow Concepts. What Catwalk is (motorized platform + integrated treadmill belt + mobile edge supports + Controls integration), hardware components, the two-mode workflow (belt-on flying-camera video + belt-off RotoPower 360° spin for model or product), scenarios feature, installation modes (sunk-in-floor vs free-standing), where Catwalk fits in a fashion studio.
• SPVC02 — Working with Live Models on Catwalk. Operator’s job is half device + half human — pre-session briefing, entry choreography, belt-on choreography (start + walk + end), mode-switching cleanly, reading body language during rotation, operator-vs-creative-director lane discipline, safety + emergency-stop discipline. The subject is a person, not a product.
• SPVC03 — Continuous Studio Lighting for Catwalk Motion. Continuous (not strobe) lighting for video — three light families (Fresnel + open-face + soft panel: ARRI / FOMEI / equivalent kits), 3-light setup for the rotating platform, colour temperature calibration across multi-fixture setup, exposure for motion (shutter / aperture / ISO + cinema-shutter rule), fabric-specific handling.
• SPVC04 — Catwalk Scenarios + Post-Production + Delivery. Controls “scenarios” feature (saved belt + rotation choreography reusable across outfits — productivity multiplier), scenario library building, four primary deliverables (catwalk video + 360 spin + key-frame stills + VR / AR plates), post pipeline + operator handoff, delivery formats per customer channel.

Cert exam: 30 questions drawn from a pool of ~50 across the 4 modules. Refresh: 15 questions. 70 % pass threshold (both exam + refresh).

Equipment-gated. This is specialty hardware — voucher issuance requires PhotoRobot sales verification of Catwalk installation at the studio.

Carpet Photography Specialist (v0.40.0 → v0.51.1 factual rework — LIVE)

Audience: Operators and studio managers at PhotoRobot studios running (or planning) PhotoRobot Carpet Studio — a complete workstation built around the Carousel 3000 (or Carousel 5000 for oversize samples) rotary platform with drive-up ramps + 7-camera fixed rig + cyclorama + CAPP orchestration + downstream Carpet & Flooring Visualizer integration. Carpet manufacturers, rug dealers, automotive interior textile programs, industrial textile QC, adjacent flat-textile applications.

Prerequisite: Operator Standard

Track scope (4 modules, ~4.5 hours):

• SPCARP01 — Carpet Studio Device + Carousel Architecture. What Carpet Studio is (Carousel 3000 / 5000 + drive-up ramps + 7-camera rig + cyclorama + CAPP), the seven main Carousel components, camera positioning (Cameras 1–4 sides + 5–6 top + 7 EOS R6 on optical USB extension for repositionable detail), CAPP wizard mode for high-throughput catalogue, Carousel 3000 (default 3 m platform) vs Carousel 5000 (5 m platform for oversize), installation modes + site requirements, customer profiles, downstream Carpet & Flooring Visualizer (Breno Carpets reference).
• SPCARP02 — Carpet Capture Workflow. Pre-session prep + loading via drive-up ramps (with pile-up control) + 7-camera configuration + reference frame discipline + standard 360° rotation + Camera 7 detail captures + multi-pass inspection sessions + Controls scenarios + wizard mode + 7 common capture problems (pile-up, rotation misalignment, colour drift, focus inconsistency, sample slippage, strobe sync, cyclorama in frame) + session closeout.
• SPCARP03 — Lighting Discipline for Carpet Capture. Why carpet capture has its own lighting discipline (3 reasons: texture-as-value + large flat surfaces + Visualizer compositing) + continuous vs strobe (strobe default) + canonical structure (cyclorama wash + raking light + soft fill) + raking light positioning per pile direction + fibre-aware tuning (wool / synthetic / cotton / silk / blend) + colour-critical protocol + multi-pass inspection + lighting kit specification (3 tiers). Links into the Lighting Techniques reference library for fundamentals.
• SPCARP04 — Visualizer Integration + Industry Delivery. Carpet & Flooring Visualizer detail + capture-to-Visualizer camera mapping + five industry delivery patterns (residential B2C / B2B wholesale / automotive Tier 1 / industrial QC / adjacent applications) + post-production handoff (folder structure, session notes, metadata, reference frame discipline, customer pre-acceptance) + customer engagement scoping (6 key questions + scope document structure) + downstream problem recovery.

Cert exam: 25 questions weighted across the 4 modules (SPCARP01: 6, SPCARP02: 6, SPCARP03: 8, SPCARP04: 5). Refresh: 12 questions (75 % pass). 70 % cert pass / 45 min / open-book with Lighting Manuals library accessible. Hands-on completion required.

Equipment-gated. This is specialty hardware — voucher issuance requires PhotoRobot sales verification of Carpet Studio installation at the studio.

Pricing — indicative

Specialty cert tracks reflect niche depth + smaller cohort sizes:

Internal PhotoRobot staff: €0 (same governance pattern as Instructor Certification).

For exact rates including any discounts for stacking with foundational certs or returning students, contact PhotoRobot sales.

Why not all five at once?

Designing five specialty tracks is significant content investment per spec. The release sequence reflects:

• Customer demand signal — OCR + 3D Modeling have the highest current demand
• Content build cost — OCR builds directly on I04 (cheapest); PINK needs device-specific operator + patient-handling depth
• Equipment-gating — Virtual Catwalk needs the PhotoRobot Catwalk platform (motorized turntable + treadmill belt combo); Carpet needs PhotoRobot Carpet Studio (Carousel 3000 default 3 m platform; Carousel 5000 5 m platform for oversize samples; 7-camera fixed rig + cyclorama + CAPP); PINK is delivered with PINK device deployment to the clinic. Cohort viability depends on customer equipment readiness.
• Quality bar — shipping one specialty done right > five specialties half-done

Each specialty release is a separate v0.x bump with full module scaffold + cert exam + refresh exam. Stable cadence: ~2 month between specialty releases as content demand validates.

What’s NOT a specialty (for clarity)

Several PhotoRobot product domains are not receiving specialty tracks, because the core curriculum already covers them:

• Standard e-commerce product photography — covered by Operator Standard
• Multi-camera car interiors — covered in B08 + B17 (Synchrobox)
• Fashion still images — covered in Operator Standard + B07 (Wizard Mode)
• Industrial product capture — covered in Studio Manager Essentials + B26 (Industry 4.0 Readiness)
• ERP integrations — covered in Integrator Essentials

Specialty tracks exist for domains where what changes about the workflow is substantial enough to justify an add-on cert. Domains where standard workflow applies are covered in the core curriculum.

Customer demand signal — share yours

If your customer organization needs PhotoRobot training in one of these specialty areas, contact PhotoRobot sales to share that demand signal. Sales aggregates demand across customers; specialty release sequence may accelerate when validated demand justifies it.

If you need a specialty area NOT on this roadmap (different industry, different product domain), PhotoRobot can deliver custom engagements — bespoke training scoped to your specific workflow without formal cert track scaffolding. Custom engagements are how new specialty tracks typically begin; once customer demand justifies a formal cert, the track is scaffolded for repeatable delivery.

Roadmap summary

The cadence is content-led, not deadline-led. Each release ships when content is production-ready, not on a calendar quarter. Realistic pace: 1 specialty per 2-3 months based on customer demand validation.

For full design details

The internal design proposal covers per-specialty rationale, open questions, sequencing decisions, and acceptance criteria. Public-facing material lives on this page; design rationale + tradeoff discussion lives in the internal proposal.

Specialty tracks aren’t yet enrolling. Contact PhotoRobot sales to express interest, share demand signals for your customer’s domain, or arrange a custom engagement if your need falls outside the roadmap.