Computer Vision: An insight into AI and machine perception Alex, June 23, 2023 In our fast-changing digital landscape, technology often mimics skills that were once thought to be unique to people. One of these technologies stands out because it is so close to one of the most basic things people perform: seeing. This is the world of machine vision, which is very exciting to say the least. This technology is changing our world in ways we are just beginning to understand. It is often used behind the scenes by the most powerful companies in the world. In this piece, we’ll talk about computer vision, not just as a scientific curiosity but also as a powerful tool that is changing the way we live. Get ready to see the world through the eyes of a computer. A point of view that is becoming more and more important in our everyday lives, from how we open our phones to how future cars will find their way around roads. Put on your seatbelts, because we’re about to start an interesting look at computer vision. What is computer vision in artificial intelligence, and how does it work? Computer vision is a type of technology that lets machines see and understand what they see. In the context of artificial intelligence, this is the ability that lets a machine look at images or videos and figure out what they mean, similar to how people use their eyes to see and understand their surroundings. To do this, computer vision uses algorithms that have been taught on a huge amount of visual data, like digital images or videos. As part of the training process, the algorithm is shown a lot of images that have certain patterns or items. Over time, the algorithm learns to recognize these trends and can then find new images or videos that have similar ones. Using the process of learning to read as an example might help you understand how computer vision works. When a child first learns to read, they start by recognizing easy patterns like shapes and letters. With practice and exposure to more complicated patterns, like words and sentences, they learn to understand what the patterns mean. In a similar way, computer vision starts with simple patterns in images and builds up to understanding complicated scenes. Deep learning is one of the main ways that computer vision is used. It involves analyzing pictures with an algorithm called a neural network, which is based on the way the human brain works. The neural network looks at different parts of a picture and learns to recognize patterns and features that help it figure out what the image is about. Computer vision has many practical uses, such as recognizing text in images (called “optical character recognition”), identifying things in photos (called “object recognition”), and even using medical images to diagnose diseases. Computer vision will only get better and have more uses as technology keeps getting better. If you remember only one thing, remember this: computer vision is a complex field, but the basic idea is simple: it’s about teaching machines to “see” and understand the visual world like people do. Real-life examples of how computer vision is used OCR or Optical Character Recognition. One well-known use of computer vision is in optical character recognition. The Google Translate app is a great example of this because it uses OCR to translate text from pictures into different languages. By taking a picture of a letter written in one language, Google Translate can turn it into another language, making it easier for people to talk to each other. Systems like automated toll booths on highways, where license plates are read and recorded automatically, also use this same technology. Object recognition in cars that drive themselves Object detection is one of the most important uses of computer vision for self-driving cars. Algorithms look at the information from the cams on the car and classify the things they see. The system can recognize people, other cars, traffic signs, and more. This helps the car move through its environment in a safe and efficient way. This app is very important to the growth and development of transportation. Facial detection Computer vision is also widely used for things like recognizing faces. It can tell who is in photos and videos by comparing digital pictures of faces to profiles that have already been saved. This technology is used in many areas, from offering tags for photos on social media to making smartphones more secure. Even though it is useful, it has also raised privacy issues, especially when it is used by police or private companies to track people. Detection of medical oddities Computer vision is being used more and more in healthcare, especially in medical images to find problems. Medical images like MRIs, X-rays, and CT scans can show patterns and abnormalities that could be signs of diseases like tumors or other abnormalities if they are taught on large datasets. This use of computer vision helps doctors figure out what’s wrong with patients and plan how to treat them. Manufacturing fault spotting In the manufacturing industry, computer vision helps ensure quality control by automatically finding mistakes in goods on assembly lines. Cameras take pictures of the goods, which are then analyzed by computer vision algorithms to find flaws. This not only makes things run more smoothly, but it also makes it easier to find problems and reduces the number of bad goods. More examples Pedestrian tracking and radar speed recognition are two other common ways that computer vision is used. Advanced surveillance for cities and residential areas Traffic flow analysis / parking spot detection and counting Automatically identifying goods and products by barcodes A new look at the future The field of computer vision is always changing and moving quickly, but one thing is for sure: it has a big and far-reaching effect. Computer vision, which has its roots in machine learning, isn’t just about processing images and videos. It’s also about giving computers the ability to see, read, and understand their surroundings in a way that’s similar to how we humans do. In this piece, we’ve talked about its basic ideas, uses, and problems. We’ve talked about everything from facial recognition to cars that drive themselves. Computer vision is becoming more and more important in our daily lives, which shows how important it is to a technologically advanced future. As long as we keep coming up with new ideas, computer vision will only get better and more common. But always keep in mind that, despite all its complexity and advanced technology, computer vision is really just a copy of one of nature’s best gifts to us: the ability to see. This interesting field of study is a lot like how we learn and change based on what we see. Who knows where else it will take us? Stay tuned for more research into this interesting field. AI Talk