Definition
Image recognition is the process of identifying objects, people, or features within an image. Unlike classification, it often involves localization and detection.
Purpose
The purpose is to allow machines to “see” and interpret visual information for decision-making. It is applied in security, manufacturing, and consumer devices.
Importance
- Core technology for surveillance and biometrics.
- Used in self-driving cars and healthcare imaging.
- Accuracy depends on large, labeled datasets.
- Raises concerns about privacy and bias.
How It Works
- Input image is captured and preprocessed.
- Model extracts visual features.
- Objects are detected and classified.
- Results are compared against reference categories.
- Output is used for applications like authentication or navigation.
Examples (Real World)
- Facebook: image recognition for photo tagging.
- Tesla Autopilot: recognizes lanes, vehicles, and pedestrians.
- Google Lens: identifies objects through smartphone cameras.
References / Further Reading
- Computer Vision: Algorithms and Applications — Szeliski. Springer.
- PASCAL VOC Challenge — University of Oxford.
- IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence.