Purposive and qualitative active vision

Abstract

The traditional view of the problem of computer vision as a recovery problem is questioned, and the paradigm of purposive-qualitative vision is offered as an alternative. This paradigm considers vision as a general recognition problem (recognition of objects, patterns or situations). To demonstrate the usefulness of the framework, the design of the Medusa of CVL is described. It is noted that this machine can perform complex visual tasks without reconstructing the world. If it is provided with intentions, knowledge of the environment, and planning capabilities, it can perform highly sophisticated navigational tasks. It is explained why the traditional structure from motion problem cannot be solved in some cases and why there is reason to be pessimistic about the optimal performance of a structure from motion module. New directions for future research on this problem in the recovery paradigm, e.g., research on stability or robustness, are suggested.