While many products on the market, from appliances to gaming systems, feature computer vision technology, there are a multitude of uses that are still being explored. Around the world, a plethora of research is being conducted in numerous fields, and it is that research that will lead to the next generation of computer vision applications. A great deal of research focuses on industrial, military, medical and scientific uses, but there are many studies underway that are looking at using computer vision in areas that enhance our lives or improve upon consumer products.
Computer Vision in the Retail Environment
In one research initiative underway, the Latin American and Caribbean Collaborative ICT Research Federation is looking into the use of computer vision for a real-time system that would allocate and supervise cash registers at grocery stores. Researchers believe that the service industry is one sector that could benefit immensely from new applications of computer vision. Their research project is aimed at improving service at grocery checkout lines by creating an automatic system that would monitor waiting times in lines, situations that create delays and required time necessary to serve the customer. This information and other measurements would be factored into the system so it can recommend the ideal number of check-out points. Continuous real-time measurements and the decision-making aspects of the system make it unique from the traditional passive measurements of existing computer vision applications.
Computer Vision in Farming and Agriculture
Another research project in progress is applying computer vision to automate agricultural machinery. Researchers at CLAAS Agrosystems in Germany are combining 2D and 3D computer vision techniques to capture a detailed scene of the farmland. This information would enable automated farm equipment guided by a 3D vision navigation system to perform automated weed control, spot spraying, and inter-row and inter-plant cultivation at a higher efficiency.
Computer Vision on the Road
Researchers at the Bundewehr University in Munich, Germany, are advancing their research on computer vision in road vehicles by equipping a Mercedes 500 SEL passenger car with a sense of vision. The autonomous road vehicle guidance system for normal traffic conditions detects road conditions, objects and obstacles from both the front and rear of the automobile using 4D machine vision. Computer vision in cars would reduce accidents and improve gas efficiency.
Computer vision conferences held annually by major organizations and associations focusing on the technology introduce numerous research papers on other uses of computer vision and its related fields. They range from simplifying everyday tasks to improving existing technology to creating a while new computer vision system for an application. Ongoing research is conducted at universities around the globe and by private computer vision research labs and companies. The extensiveness of the research being conducted in computer vision is indicative of the great potential it holds in many diverse fields and applications.