(1) Neurobiology is the study of the biological vision system.
- Over the last century, there has been an extensive study of eyes, neurons, and brain structures devoted to the processing of visual stimuli in both humans and various animals.
- This has led to a coarse, yet complicated, description of how "real" vision systems operate to solve certain vision-related tasks.
- These results have led to a sub-field within computer vision where artificial systems are designed to mimic the processing and behaviour of biological systems, at different levels of complexity.
- Also, some of the learning-based methods developed within computer vision (e.g. neural net and deep learning-based image and feature analysis and classification) have their background in biology.
(2) Some strands of computer vision research are closely related to the study of biological vision – indeed, just as many strands of AI research is closely tied with research into human consciousness, and the use of stored knowledge to interpret, integrate and utilize visual information.
- The field of biological vision studies and models the physiological processes behind visual perception in humans and other animals.
- Computer vision, on the other hand, studies and describes the processes implemented in software and hardware behind artificial vision systems.
- The interdisciplinary exchange between biological and computer vision has proven fruitful for both fields.