Amazon’s drone delivery concept has been in development for several years, and consumers and governmental agencies have debated the safety of crewless drone flight. The retail giant recently introduced its intention to include machine learning technology into their drones’ flight systems to make them safer and more reliable. Below, we’re going to discuss what computer vision is and how Amazon has used it to reduce drone accidents.
What Is Computer Vision?
Computer vision is the combination of a powerful computer processing unit and a high-end monitoring device, like a microphone or camera. The system can detect physical or audible stimuli in the real world, process information about it, and react accordingly.
What Is Multi-View Stereo Vision?
Multi-view stereo vision is the complex computer vision system that Amazon has started including in their drones. It combines a depth camera, a thermal camera, and a sonar unit mounted to the drone.
The result is a capable and highly accurate sensing system that can detect both static and moving objects as the drone moves through space. Everything from chimneys to power lines, to helicopters and other aircraft, is detected by the multi-view stereo system and analyzed by the onboard processing unit.
Amazon’s Challenges with Crashing Drones
Amazon’s drone program has been in development for years, during which time they struggled with drones crashing into both moving and static objects. Outdoor computer vision can be very challenging because of shadows, insufficient lighting, and weather. All of these have led to drone crashes, loss of equipment, and potential danger to those around the drones in the past.
How Amazon Is Using Them to Prevent Drones From Crashing
Thankfully, Amazon’s advanced computer vision system - their multi-view stereo vision - has drastically decreased the risk of drone crashes and has made them significantly more efficient. The multi-view system allows onboard computers to process large amounts of data quickly to get an accurate and reliable view of everything happening around the drone. It enables the aircraft to predict and react to what is happening around it.
Computer vision is revolutionizing industries and companies worldwide, and technology like Amazon’s multi-view stereo vision helps create safer and more cost-effective solutions for companies and consumers alike. If you’re looking to implement computer vision systems in your company or equipment, consider using our high-quality and high-resolution cameras, which are designed for precision and maximum performance in any application.