Part 4/12:

Kumar emphasized that computer vision constitutes a form of perception and cognition, with current models like CNNs providing limited explanation but high effectiveness. He also pointed out that the real frontier lies in cognition—understanding and reasoning about data—and in robotics, which he views as the future of AI.

Case Studies: From Visual Inspection to Satellite Monitoring

Highlighting practical examples, Kumar described a series of case studies demonstrating AI’s potential at ISRO:

• Spacecraft Inspection: Automating the complex process of inspecting spacecraft components—such as solar cells—before launch. This process demanded faultless accuracy, with a maximum permissible error rate of 1 in 10,000, a challenge compounded by the limitations of existing algorithms.