These techniques are used to identify lanes and vehicles on roads and even in sports to identify and analyze players' movements. Computer vision can also help referees or umpires call balls and strikes in a baseball game, as that fits neatly with the elements of computer vision described above. Calling balls and strikes accurately relies on object recognition -- in this case, a baseball -- and determining its location, a suitable task for computer vision algorithms.
What can computer vision do?
Computer vision currently has a wide range of applications -- and the potential for many more in the future. For instance, the "Just Walk Out" technology behind Amazon's (AMZN +1.04%) Amazon Go convenience stores relies on computer vision. Amazon uses the technology to see the products shoppers take off the shelves and charge them accordingly.
Similarly, facial recognition technology can use computer vision to identify an individual face or even pick out a face in a group.
Finally, AVs and robotics may be the most powerful applications of computer vision. Computer vision helps self-driving cars detect and classify objects, measure distances, and identify other cars and pedestrians.
Many industries, including agriculture, also use computer vision with drones. Drone-based crop analysis helps farmers identify crops that might be diseased, need water, or suffer other problems. It can also help automate the spraying of pesticides, saving manual labor and increasing production yields.
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