Before reading this, I thought computer vision was similar to human vision because both are able to see and recognize things, however, I realized that they are actually very different. Human vision is much more flexible and intelligent because we can easily recognize people, objects, movement, and understand what is happening around us without having to think about it. A computer, on the other hand, mainly sees pixels, colors, and brightness values. It does not automatically understand what these pixels mean, so it needs specific algorithms and conditions to be able to recognize things. Computers can also be affected by things such as lighting, colors, and the background, meaning that the environment needs to sometimes be designed in a certain way to help the computer see better.
There are different techniques that can be used to help computer vision detect and track things. One example is frame differencing, which compares different frames to detect movement. Another is background subtraction, where the computer compares the current image to a background and can identify what has changed or what has been added. Brightness thresholding can also be used to separate objects based on how light or dark they are. There is also object tracking, which allows the computer to follow the position of a specific object. I found it interesting that the physical environment can also be changed to make these techniques work better. For example, having a strong contrast between a person and the background can make it much easier for the computer to detect them. This shows that computer vision is not only about the code but also about how the environment is set up.
I think computer vision’s ability to track and use surveillance creates a lot of different possibilities for interactive media. It allows the artwork to respond to the person interacting with it, such as tracking their face, body, movement, or position. This can make the artwork feel more interactive because the person is not just looking at the artwork but is actually becoming part of it. I think this could make an experience more interesting and personal because the artwork can change depending on what the person does. However, I also think there is an important issue with privacy because the same technology that makes interactive media possible can also be used to watch and track people. This made me think about how there needs to be a balance between making an artwork interactive and making sure people are comfortable with being tracked. If people do not know that they are being recorded or tracked, it could make the artwork feel more like surveillance than interaction.
Overall, this reading showed me that computer vision is not the same as human vision and that computers need specific techniques and conditions to understand what they are seeing. I think the use of computer vision in interactive media depends on how the user chooses to use it and whether the technology is being used to create an interaction that is unique.