How Computer Vision Technology Is Used In A Modern Society
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Real-World Applications of Computer Vision
Most people are probably not aware that computer vision is very much an integral part of urban life. Here are just a handful of examples on how the technology is helping to improve city living:
Smart Traffic Management
Computer vision is most certainly being used to monitor and manage traffic in real time. Cameras placed at intersections can analyze traffic flow, detect congestion, and adjust traffic lights to reduce jams.
A complex network of computers update information about road conditions which are regularly transmitted to data centers. The information is then propagated to apps and websites utilized by road users.
This highly interconnected system helps keep cities moving smoothly. We might not be aware of it, but the system plays a critical role in maintaining safety on the roads, especially during rush hours or when the roads are under construction and repairs.
Public Safety and Security
When you walk around in high traffic urban areas, you’d have surely notice some surveillance cameras around. These cameras do more than just record videos. The cameras might look simple, but they are likely to be equipped with sophisticated computer vision technology.
This means you can assume the cameras are capable of detecting number plates, unusual activities or even recognize faces. The high-tech cameras help law enforcement monitor public spaces and respond quickly to incidents.
Some cities also use police drones to keep an eye on public spaces. You can expect these devices to also be equipped with high grade sensors and cameras, not found in your typical consumer grade drones.
You should watch the video below to get a better idea on how computer vision can instantly recognize a face and pull personal details about that person from the Web in seconds. With this tech in hand or should I say on your eyes, the implications are certainly far reaching. In the wrong hands, you can imagine how the tech can be used for nefarious purposes.
‼️🤖 Harvard students used Meta's Smart Glasses with facial recognition software.
— Radar🚨 (@RadarHits) October 4, 2024
They were able to find FULL PERSONAL DETAILS within minutes of seeing strangers on the street.
Creepy af.
pic.twitter.com/BCHvxT2xoT
The concept product above created by the students look very similar to Google Glass, a product that was not accepted well. It partly failed because it is said that the device can be used to secretly record people. This idea freaked people out as it infringes on their privacy. (source: wired.com)
Autonomous Transportation
You might be surprised to know that self-driving tech had been around for decades. Before the technology was integrated into self-driving cars, computer vision has been implemented in autonomous transportation. For example, back in the late 1990s, a small Asian city – Kuala Lumpur were already ferrying passengers around in autonomous driverless trains equipped with sophisticated sensors.
In this use case, computer vision helps in detecting pedestrians, vehicles, and obstacles, ensuring a safer and more efficient public transportation system. A public transportation system in a modern city may transport hundreds of thousands of commuters in a day. Thus, computer vision is just one of the essential technologies that ensure everybody gets to their destination safely.
Retail and Shopping
The many CCTV cameras you see in shopping centers may be there for more than security purposes. You see, computer vision can also be used for customer analytics purposes. Such cameras can track how many people enter a store, what products they look at and how much time they spend in certain areas.
The data gathered helps businesses improve their services and create better shopping experiences. So now you know that customer data collection is happening behind the scene, even when you are not online. Marketing is all about return on investment, thus every commercial message that is being directed to you is usually driven by solid consumer data analytics. This is how the term ‘big data’ came about in recent years.
Consumer Technology
If you are avid with the smartphone camera, you would have surely used a feature before called ‘face detection’. Your camera is able to detect the subject’s face because it is powered by computer vision. If you tweak some further settings, artificial intelligence algorithms is triggered, suggesting ways on how you can beautify and enhance the photo.
Actually most consumers probably only use their smartphone for leisure purposes, without realizing that even a basic smartphone these days actually contains more computing power than a 20 year-old desktop computer. So if you desire to be more tech-savvy, you can certainly begin by gaining more knowledge about the many systems inside your smartphone.
After all, we can quite safely predict that any future advancements in smart technology will most certainly find its way into the iPhone or Android phones, since they are the most ubiquitous devices throughout the world.
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