Introduction

In the previous episode, we unfolded the first attempts that laid the groundwork for today’s sophisticated computer vision (CV) systems. Today, we are focusing on the 1980s – a quiet decade without major implementation breakthroughs but marked by foundational advancements that set the stage for such things as self-driving cars, face recognition techniques and 3D mapping.

Information about the 1980s is relatively scarce so we had to dig into various reports from the Commerce Department and other agencies. During these years, computer vision gradually advanced from experimental beginnings to more developed applications. The decade was marked by research into complex functions like object recognition, scene interpretation, and motion detection. While the field made significant progress, challenges in reliability and theoretical models’ application to practical uses remained prominent.

For you, we’ve pieced together a picture of a field making gradual but crucial progress. It was also the times, when CV tech entered the commercial sector. Let’s dive in!

In this episode, we will explore:

Computer Vision in the early 1980s

Next episode: Recognizing smiles in 1990s

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