I recently found an article online regarding computer vision. It was about the possibility of vision being applied to aeronautics, for the purpose of autonomous mapping of the surrounding environment. This could be revolutionary in unmanned flight, as the planes would no longer be controlled. The plane would be able to monitor its position in the environment, discover and avoid obstacles, all while navigating towards a predetermined destination.
Application of this idea would have pros and cons. To keep a plane or other air-based vehicle stable and away from land would require frequent and accurate measurements, pushing the capabilities of vision based intelligence to its limits. If done successfully, the plane would require no external control, only needing to be turned on and off, and told where to go. A large factor in the success of this venture would involve having accurate distance measurements without the cost of large amounts of time. A balance between accuracy and time would be essential. If a plane were to fly into an area without knowing what’s there, or miscalculating what’s there, there could be large consequences. At the current limits of technology such a vehicle would have to move very slowly in order to allow for enough time to map out the surrounding environment.
The applications of this technology are very enticing. It could be applied to transportation, getting people from one place to another through the skies. Or in drones for more accurate measurements in air strikes and safer navigation. The amount of possibilities available in just this portion of the vast applications of vision based intelligence just goes to show how important it can be in the future. Who knows, maybe one day the A.I. plane from Stealth will become a reality.
Vision Based Robot Intelligence 