Many classes of commercial and consumer products would benefit from the ability to visually sense their environment and react to what is happening in real time. These products would have to operate in dynamic, variably lit real-world environments. Robust sensing would require accurate visual analysis, which often entails three-dimensional data and high frame rates with low latency. In addition, the sensing system would have to be compact and low-cost, with low power demands. Although these requirements seem challenging, new technology is enabling affordable embedded products that see and interact with the world in three dimensions.

One application of visual sensing is a distributed person-tracking system that uses networks of smart sensors mounted on walls and ceilings. Electroland of Los Angeles — a creator of comprehensive and multidisciplinary urban projects and scenarios — has produced for Target Corp. an interactive installation in the new observation deck of Rockefeller Center in New York...