The Next Steps In Robotics And Computer Vision: Behavior Analysis, Situational Awareness

We’ve seen some interesting developments lately in the fields of robotics and computer vision. They’re not as academic as you’d expect: enormous tech successes like the Roomba and Kinect have relied as much on clever algorithms and software development as they have on marketing and retail placement. So what’s next for our increasingly intelligent cameras, webcams, TVs, and phones?

I spoke with Dr. Anthony Hoogs, head of computer vision research at Kitware, a company that’s a frequent partner of DARPA, NIH, and other acronyms you’d probably recognize.We discussed what one might reasonably expect from the next few years of advances in this growing field.

Kitware is a member of what we might reasonably call the third party in tech, one not often in the spotlight. Hoogs’s research division relies on government contracts and DARPA grants. We tend to cover privately-funded companies and products, with venture backing or corporate R&D budgets, which are often more high-profile.