Want computers to see better in the real world? Train them in a virtual reality

Scientists have developed a new way to improve how computers "see" and "understand" objects in the real world by training the computers' vision systems in a virtual environment. The research team published their findings in IEEE/CAA Journal of Autmatica Sinica, a joint publication of the IEEE and the Chinese Association of Automation. For computers to learn and accurately recognize objects, such as a building, a street, or humans, the machines must rely on processing huge amount of labeled data, in this case, images of objects with accurate annotations. A self-driving car, for instance, needs thousands of images of roads and cars to learn from. Datasets therefore play a crucial role in the training and testing of the computer vision systems.