OpenCV (Open Source Computer Vision Library) is an open-source software library for image processing and computer vision, whose development began at Intel around 2000. It offers thousands of functions, for example for filtering images, detecting edges and faces, tracking objects in video or calibrating cameras. OpenCV is written in C++ but is frequently used via Python, for instance in quality inspection, robotics and research.
Computer vision is a field of AI in which computers interpret images and video. Typical tasks include detecting and locating objects, reading text in images and measuring components. The technology is used, for example, in quality control in manufacturing, in driver assistance systems, in logistics and in medical imaging.
Image recognition is a field of computer vision in which software identifies what an image shows – objects, people, text, logos or scenes. It is usually based on neural networks trained on large numbers of labelled images. Applications range from quality control in manufacturing and sorting product photos to supporting medical imaging. With images of people, data protection and potential bias require particular attention.
Pose estimation is a computer vision technique that determines the posture of people, or the position and orientation of objects, in images or video. Typically a model detects key points such as shoulders, elbows and knees and joins them into a skeleton. It is used, for example, in fitness apps that check exercises, in workplace ergonomics analysis, in sports analytics and in robotics.
Instance segmentation is a computer vision technique that detects every individual object in an image and outlines it pixel by pixel. Unlike semantic segmentation, it also distinguishes between objects of the same class: three people receive three separate masks rather than one shared area. It is used, for example, in quality inspection, medical imaging, robotics or counting products on a shelf.
