A team of researchers led by computer science Professor Serge Belongie at the University of California, San Diego has developed an iPad app called Visipedia that will identify most North American birds, with a little help from a human user.

Intevac Photonics, a subsidiary of Intevac (Santa Clara, CA, USA), has received a $10m contract to develop a camera for the US Army’s Apache Helicopter.

An Irish researcher has been awarded a Gold Medal at the Young European Arena of Research 2012 competition by the EU Commission for his work developing systems for pedestrian identification.

A new white paper that describes the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 communication specification, how it differs from other available interfaces, and how it can be leveraged in vision applications is available for free download from Vision Systems Design.

Smart camera vendors are developing products for niche applications using novel optics, filters, and sensors.

In Part II of this three-part series, associate professor Daniel Lau (Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Kentucky) describes how active stereo systems can perform accurate 3-D reconstructions even on scenes with low texture areas and smooth surfaces.

Microview & LinZhi Image Tech Corp. (MVLZ; Beijing, China) has developed an automated antisway system for use by port operators that incorporates a smart camera, fiber-optic communication link, and feedback control system based on a programmable logic controller.

Any nostalgic feelings for the past may be better put aside with the understanding that the future will only bring with it more exciting technologies, products, and applications.

The European Machine Vision Association (EMVA) is to break away from the German Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau (VDMA) to become an independent non-for-profit association.

Machine vision and transportation imaging company Lecky Integration is changing its name and moving offices to take advantage of recent growth and new opportunities.

A unique research car has been fitted out with tracking systems and bio-monitors by engineers at Newcastle University (Newcastle, UK) to monitor the concentration, stress levels and driving habits of drivers.

A collaboration between the UK's Transport Research Laboratory (TRL; Wokingham, UK) and innovITS ADVANCE (Nuneaton, UK) has led to the creation of a pedestrian target which will help developers of automotive safety systems test and certify their products.

Researchers at New Mexico State University (NMSU; Las Cruces, NM, USA) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI; Palo Alto, CA, USA) have concluded that unmanned aircraft can be safely and effectively used to assess power grid damage following a storm or natural disaster.

Drunk driving may soon become a thing of the past thanks to a face-recognition program developed by a pair of University of Windsor (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) engineering graduate students.