News and information about computer vision. Startups, jobs, people, companies, software, hardware, conferences, embedded vision, and more. We are also proud to be the host site of the annual Embedded Vision Workshop.
Computer Vision Central publishes 1,000th news item
One thousand days ago Computer Vision Central started publishing a daily news item. In that short span of time -- less than three years -- the field has exploded. A look back through the news items we've published on this site proves that participation in computer vision encompasses all regions of the world; includes many types of actors -- individuals, academia, large companies, startups, governments, and non-profits; and benefits too many different industries to list. Computer vision has truly gone mainstream: it is embedded in our devices including smartphones, cars, and video game consoles; it is a topic of conversations in social networks; and it is regularly covered in mainstream news channels.
What's next? With so much happening in the computer vision world, and so much of it easy to find via social networks, a centralized limited-authorship computer vision news blog is less necessary today than it was 1,000 days ago. We will refocus the site on its most popular crowdsourced features: computer vision jobs, forums, and conferences. The computer vision jobs board will be the new front page. We will no longer post daily news, although all existing articles will continue to be available. If you see something in the computer vision world that excites you, we encourage you to share it with your fellow computer vision enthusiasts by posting about it in Computer Vision Central's forum!
Robotic automation coming to plant nurseries
Eric Smalley writes in a Wired report that several companies are testing autonomous robots for plant nurseries that grow ornamental shrubs and trees. The robots use computer vision and other sensors to navigate and to pick up and deliver potted shrubs and trees. One startup, Harvest Automation, has raised $5 million in venture capital. A video of the robots in action is available here.
Related articles on Computer Vision Central:
- Computer vision for agriculture increases profits, reduces waste
- Google awards research grant in mobile crop surveillance
- Computer Vision used to target individual weeds
- Vision-based pruning system reduces labor costs in vineyards
- Senate-approved Department of Agriculture appropriations bill includes funding for computer vision staff
- Vision analysis can estimate crop yields earlier
U.S. funds research towards street intersection analyzer for the blind
The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) is providing $400,000 in funding to Dr. James Coughlan, of the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, to develop tools to help the visually impaired. Building on the team's existing computer vision software for detecting crosswalks and 'walk' lights, the new system will help the blind and visually impaired navigate across intersections via continous feedback. The goal is to deploy the system in the form of free smartphone apps for common platforms such as Android and iOS so that users will not have to carry a separate device.
NVIDIA introduces Tegra 3 for tablets and phones
NVIDIA has introduced the quad-core Tegra 3 for mobile devices including tablets and phones. This embedded system was formely code-named "Project Kal-El". In addition to the four high-performance main cores, the Tegra 3 comes with a fifth low-power core which is used when high-performance applications are not running, to extend battery life. There is also a new 12-core GeFORCE GPU. The Tegra 3 will provide a powerful new platform for mobile computer vision applications.
Related articles:
Tracking all the players on the field
A team of researchers from Switzerland's Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have developed a system that can continously track every player on the field in a sporting event, even through occlusion events. The system is entirely based on eight cameras positioned around the field, and does not require the players to wear any devices. The research was presented at ICCV 2011 this week. More information is available in a press release.