The Machines Are Watching You: Top 10 Computer Vision Applications

Artificial intelligence is known as the intelligence demonstrated by machinery. In today’s world, artificial intelligence has become very popular. It is the simulation of natural intelligence in machines designed to learn and imitate human actions.

These machines can learn from experience and perform tasks similar to human beings. A large proportion of AI is being utilized for Computer Vision and in this article, we will be going over what it is and its usage in the industry.

What is Computer Vision?

Computer Vision which is an abbreviation for CV is a field of study that enables computers to perceive real-world objects via static image or a video. Computer vision covers all biological system vision tasks, including the “seeing”, the understanding, and the extraction of complicated information in a form that can be used for other processes. These elements of human vision systems using sensors, computers, and machine learning algorithms are imitated and automated in this field.

How does Computer Vision work?

The whole idea about Artificial Intelligence is to imitate a human being as closely and as efficiently as possible. Imagine someone throwing a ball at you, you perceive the object and knew exactly when to react to it and catch it. This process may seem too simple for humans but for a Computer, an image is just an array of numbers that requires further processing by the computer to identify the object(aka Object Identification technique).

Which top companies are using computer vision?

Several companies are now moving towards Computer Vision and there are several tech giants in there as well.

• Alphabet. Inc who is the parent company of Google which is the world’s largest search engine has created Vision.ai which can derive insights from images to their cloud using pre-trained vision models to detect texts, languages, and emotions.
• Facebook, Inc is another giant that has a computer vision division under it, according to their research team, they are creating visual sensors capable of extracting information from the environment to further enable Facebook services to automate tasks that people automatically do today visually.
• Intel Corporation has created a specialized processing unit called Vision Processing Unit(VPU) which enables faster-cutting edge processing for high demanding Ai workloads with exceptional efficiency that would not have been possible with their regular CPUs.

Top 10 Computer Vision Applications

1- Computer Vision in Financial Industry

Mitek Systems has developed a system for image recognition for the financial sector. This enables passports, ID cards, and driver’s licenses to be accurately checked. Hence they have automated the process and have reduced the chance of having a human error.

2- Computer Vision in Automotive Industry

Tesla has set the bar when it comes to smart, electric, and clean energy vehicles but one of the features that took the world by storm was the self-driving capability that was introduced to it. Any self-driving vehicle, including Tesla vehicles, mainly has to stay on the right track before moving the road in the right direction.

Tasks like detection of obstacles are a large part of the pile, and other features like the Smart Summon enable the driver to find their vehicle in a car park. Among other tasks, these additional tasks are combined with the basic lane and trajectory functions to achieve the long-term objective.

3- Computer Vision to Medical Industry

Computer vision is now being used to diagnose conditions related to health. This allows interventions for lifesaving purposes. Smart healthcare becomes a reality when used alongside sensors.

Gauss Surgical has, for example, developed a solution that allows the use of advanced cloud-based computer vision algorithms to monitor blood loss in real-time.

They can maximize blood transfusions by their solutions. It also proved to be more skilled than a trained human in detecting conditions like hemorrhage. It has already proven itself in operations like Cesarean delivery.

4- Computer Vision in Cosmetic Industry

DeepLens has been developed by Amazon Web Services for extensive learning, computer vision hardware, and applications.

They can be adapted to different applications as open-source systems. DermLens is one such evolution. It supports patients in monitoring and managing skin conditions like psoriasis. DermLens was preferred by 72 percent of users to other monitoring solutions in a Journal for American Dermatology.

5- Computer Vision in Sports Industry

JOGO is the future of football. This revolutionary player development platform provides productive insights for players to predict the future faces of football.

Its state-of-the-art data collection – driven by computer vision and learning, sensor tech, and much more – makes it possible to track physique, technique, and cognitive abilities seamlessly. JOGO allows the football community that includes clubs and trainers worldwide to follow their players’ progress, while young talents can measure their growth in real-time, use all of this data to get better than ever.

6- Computer Vision in Retail Industry

In developing retail technology, Amazon is leading the way. A clever business, Amazon Go, was recently unveiled by the company. Deep training and CV enable customers to pay for goods without a check-out.

The camera monitors when objects are taken from the racks and placed in carts. These systems record every item that a customer chooses by tracking the customer.

The customer simply leaves the store when he/she has finished shopping. The technology in the shop can link the customer to their Amazon account so that their purchases are automatically charged.

7- Computer Vision in Beauty Industry

Neutrogena uses an application to scan the skin of customers. The Skin360 app then determines the customers’ health and enables them to identify the products most relevant or useful. These are but a few ways to personalize the customer experience with a CV.

Brands are becoming increasingly aware of how satisfied customers are and committed to the brand by offering a personalized service. This helps maintain a strong base of customers, the key to any company.

8- Computer Vision in Security Industry

StopLift uses computer vision systems to help shops minimize volatility and other losses. Their ScanItAll system detects check-out errors and identifies cashiers that prevent products from being scanned.

Existing video cameras and sales point systems can also be installed with ScanItAll to facilitate integration in the stores.

In Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Australia, StopLift applications are already in operation. A Piggly Wiggly case study showed that StopLift helped cut losses considerably.

9- Computer Vision in the Construction industry

To monitor the features of industrial sites, such as wells or factories, Computer Vision software has proved to be useful. Osprey Informatics uses CV for remote wells, industrial installations, and site security monitoring. Their systems can supply regular images of the site for 15 minutes. They also offer video monitoring in real-time or live.

10- Computer Vision for Security

A total of 417 mass shootings took place in the U.S. alone in 2019. While law enforcement works hard to protect its people, improved monitoring and security standards could help to create a safer society. Athena Security provides a computer-based AI monitoring system for guns, knives, and other weapons to be identified in real-time. The system can immediately notify safety alerts or enforce the threat when detected.