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Innovation

Supercomputers might be able to drive cars in the future

Scientists developed NeuFlow, a supercomputer with the ability to process what it sees. The wallet-sized chip computer could help cars drive on their own, 360-degree vision for soldiers, and monitor falls in assisted living situations.
Written by Boonsri Dickinson, Contributing Editor

New York University researchers designed a supercomputer that can see the world the way we do.

The scientists developed complex vision algorithms to give cars synthetic vision — the visual intelligence they need to one day drive around by themselves.

To do this, the computer takes in tens of megapixel images in real-time. This way, it can identify what is on the road: people, stoplights, sidewalks, and cars.

The processing of the information is super efficient. It runs on more than 100 billion operations per second with the amount of power it takes to keep your cell phone going.

Ideally, the NeuFlow system would be the size of a wallet. Putting the small supercomputer in a car would enable it to be autonomous.

The system could help robots navigate tough terrain and give them super vision. And it could be used to monitor people falling in assisted living homes.

Watch the synthetic vision system:

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This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

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