The global computer vision market size was valued at $11.22 billion in 2021 but is growing at a rate of 7% every year. This means that the need for computer vision development services is more urgent than ever before.
Computer vision system software development is an offshoot of the artificial intelligence or AI industry. Computer vision solutions have been deployed in drones, retail warehouses, and semi-autonomous vehicles. By using computer vision comprising image sensors, cameras, and deep machine learning techniques, this technology is being used in a number of industries, including healthcare, robotics, retail, utilities, and security companies.
Manufacturing and utility companies use custom computer vision development to improve safety on-site, e.g., spotting anomalies and mistakes that could lead to breakdowns or safety hazards. Healthcare companies use the advanced analytical capabilities of computer vision programs to analyze scans and spot potential red flags that indicate the beginning of serious diseases, including cancer.
Of course, custom computer vision software development is in its infancy, and we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of what it can do. 2023 will be a notable year with many new developments for the industry – and the developers that work in the field.
What exactly are computer vision development services, and who uses them?
Developers that specialize in custom computer vision software development are tasked with developing, testing, debugging, deploying, and maintaining computer vision algorithms and hardware for different environments. They also gather and optimize analytics from computer vision algorithms to improve their performance.
There are several commercial benefits to computer vision software development. Just like AI can rapidly analyze data and spot patterns, computers can recognize visual cues and derive important insights in a way that humans simply can’t.
Some of the industries that use computer vision development services include:
Robotics and manufacturing companies
Businesses have started to use machine vision techniques to automate assembly processes, including inspection and quality assurance. Smart cameras are programmed to detect and measure features and defects on the manufacturing line and can read and verify barcodes or printed characters. This can improve accuracy, consistency, and speed as the machine can perform these mundane tasks much faster than human beings ever could. The technology is also used in warehousing, especially when it comes to health and safety procedures (e.g., detecting safety hazards, problems with processes, or security breaches) and inventory management (e.g., counting stock on hand in real-time).
Consumer Electronics
Smart appliances are no longer considered a passing fad. Smart devices are being released with impressive computer vision capabilities, thanks to innovative computer vision software development techniques. Think of the Dyson 360 Eye robot vacuum that maps its surroundings, avoids obstacles, and vacuums enclosed areas smartly and efficiently. Mobile phones are also equipped with increasingly impressive camera capabilities, including computer vision technology that can improve the image and video quality. Face detection, video stabilization, autofocus, motion anticipation, low light detection, and other cutting- edge features are powered by computer vision technology.
Automotive
The automotive industry has been one of the biggest proponents of computer vision technology. Autonomous cars or driverless cars rely heavily on different kinds of cameras, and ADAS or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems require Computer Vision technology for blind spot detection, advanced collision avoidance, drowsiness detection, and night vision.
Retail
Amazon Go and Zipp in have both adopted computer vision technology to create cashier-less stores. Items are tracked so that when customers take items off the shelf, they can leave the store without paying or scanning anything – the computer will detect what was taken and charge to their account automatically. Alibaba is trying the same technique, using facial recognition technology that scans users’ faces to extract payment for goods.
Advertising
Computer Vision technology can also revolutionize the advertising business by using visual input to extract far richer insights than textual input. McDonald’s and BMW use on-site cameras to identify customer features (gender, age, accessories) to create appropriate, highly targeted advertisements and product suggestions.
Security
Video technology and security cameras are nothing new, but computer vision has improved video capabilities considerably. Conventionally, we rely on human beings to watch real-time video feeds to identify incidents or suspicious activity, traffic flow, and safety. As we already know, human beings are fallible and can easily miss important indicators of a dangerous event. Human beings working the night shift can get fatigued, may leave their post, or become distracted at any time. Now, modern surveillance systems can use an algorithm to recognize authorized faces, events, and motions. They can generate data based on the objects or locations they are watching over and alert security companies if suspicious activities are detected.
Sports and leisure
Sports are all about motion. Tracking actions and generating data can improve athletes’ and coaches’ performance and understanding. The NBA has been using camera tracking systems since 2009 but now tracks and analyzes player and ball movement to generate stats and metrics. This data is presented to benefit players, coaches, fans, and even bettors.
Movie companies use the same technology to capture facial expressions from actors to create realistic CGI characters, as seen in the new Avatar movie.
Healthcare
Healthcare imaging companies use the technology to identify tumors and anomalies in MRIs, CT Scans, and X-rays. Some apps can even measure the amount of blood lost during an operation by scanning a bloody sponge used during surgery. This can improve patient outcomes and help with the early detection of dread diseases as they are far more accurate than analyses carried out by human beings.
Property
Real estate companies are using this innovative technology to analyze images of homes to extract important features (square footage, number of rooms, features) to determine their value. Zillow uses this technology to improve its own value estimations.
Final thoughts
While there are plenty of tools to get excited about in 2023, computer vision development services have the potential to revolutionize a number of important industries, from healthcare to retail, from security to smart devices.
