This awesome YouTube video explains computer vision in under 10 minutes

Although computer vision powers a slew of old and new technologies – from simple barcode scanners to cutting-edge facial recognition systems – few people seem to know exactly what it is. But thanks to this awesome YouTube video, you can learn almost everything you need to know about in under 10 minutes.

In her latest video, popular YouTube personality ‘Nat and Friends‘ ventures into the long and complicated history of computer vision: From how it was initially conceived as a brief summer project back in 1966, to how it has finally begun to take off – more than 50 years later.

Featuring commentary from computer vision experts like Cornell University professor Serge Belongie and MIT researcher William Freeman as well as Google scientists Julian Ibarz and Vincent Vanhoucke, the details the various ways in which computer vision has and will continue to appear in our lives.

Watch the full clip in the video section above.

And in case you liked the video, check out this fascinating documentary that explains how artificial intelligence – and, by extension, computer vision – will enable self-driving cars to save lives on the road.