Object change detection and measurement using digital fingerprints

A processor-based system to assess objects that may change over time during manufacturing, the processor-based system comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium which stores a dataset and at least one set of processor-executable instructions, the dataset which includes at least one reference digital fingerprint that represents the object under assessment in a known condition at a time prior to a time of assessment or that represents a number of other objects in a known condition at a time prior to the time of assessment, the number of other objects each being a same type of object the object under assessment, the processor-executable instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
• for a digital fingerprint of an object under assessment wherein the digital fingerprint represents the object under assessment at the time of assessment of the object,
• compare the digital fingerprint of the object under assessment with the at least one reference digital fingerprint that represents the object under assessment in the known condition at the time prior to the time of assessment or that represents the number of other objects in the known condition at the time prior to the time of assessment;
• determine at least one metric that represents a measure of change in the object under assessment based on the comparison;
• determine whether at least one manufacturing operation of a set of manufacturing operations being performed on the object under assessment is complete based at least in part on the determined measure of change in the object under assessment;
• update the dataset to reflect the determined at least one metric that represents the measure of change in the object under assessment;
• and
• repeatedly update the dataset to reflect the determined at least one metric that represents the measure of change in the object under assessment for a plurality of successive times following the first time of assessment, to accumulate measures of change in the object under assessment over time.