Over the past few years, computer vision applications have become ubiquitous. From phones that recognize the faces of their users, to cars that drive themselves, to satellites that track ship movements, the value of computer vision has never been clear. But hardware shortages and labor disruptions in the pandemic's wake are challenging companies' ability to make good on the promise of computer vision, even as the pandemic itself has accelerated the potential of its use cases. Following is a look at how companies across a range of industries are deploying computer vision to improve and optimize key business processes, from retail fulfillment to health-care diagnostics. Computer vision is a field of artificial intelligence that is focused on processing images and videos to extract meaningful information.

Walmart is applying artificial intelligence to the palletizing of products in its regional distribution centers. Since 2017, the discount giant has worked with Symbotic to optimize an automated technology solution to sort, store, retrieve and pack freight onto pallets in its Brooksville, Fla., distribution center. Under Walmart's existing system, product arrives at one of its RDCs and is either cross-docked or warehoused, while being moved or stored manually. When it's time for the product to go to a store, a 53-foot trailer is manually packed for transit. After the truck arrives at a store, associates unload it manually and place the items in the appropriate places.