Artificial Intelligence

Computer vision is the use of a computer to analyze and evaluate visual information. A camera is used to collect visual data. The camera translates the image into a series of electrical signals. This data is analog in nature—that is, it is directly measurable and quantifiable. A digital computer, however, operates using numbers expressed directly as digits. It cannot read analog signals, so the image must be digitized using an analog-to-digital converter. The image becomes a very long series of binary numbers that can be stored and interpreted by the computer. Just how long the series is depends on how densely packed the pixels are in the visual image. To get an idea of pixels and digitized images, take a close look at a newspaper photograph. If you move the paper very close to your eyes, you will notice that the image is a sequence of black and white dots—called pixels, for picture elements—arranged in a certain pattern. When you move the picture away from your eyes, the picture becomes clearly defined and your brain is able to recognize the image.

Artificial intelligence works much the same way. Clues provided by the arrangement of pixels in the image give information as to the relative color and texture of an object, as well as the distance between objects. In this way, the computer can interpret and analyze visual images. In the field of robotics, visual analysis is very important.