Self-driving car tech lets computers see our world like never before - Roadshow

Since their inception, computers have lived in a world of ones and zeros, doggedly processing if-then and and-or statements through multiple language layers. One fascinating technology being developed for self-driving cars may change all that, giving computers a stronger visual understanding of our world, and could possibly be the first step towards an evolving computer self-consciousness. The technology is called "deep learning," a technique for training a computer based on a neural network program, similar to the pathways found in your brain. While researchers apply deep learning in a variety of scenarios, including speech recognition, it's visual recognition that's the most relevant, and the hottest, field for self-driving cars. To safely navigate our cities and suburbs, self-driving cars need to recognize objects in their immediate environment.