Perception

Edge Detection

Edge Detection is the identification of pixels where image intensity changes sharply, marking object boundaries, surface creases, and texture transitions. Classical operators include the Sobel and Laplacian filters and the Canny detector (1986), which combines Gaussian smoothing, gradient computation, non-maximum suppression, and hysteresis thresholding. Learned detectors and the edge-sensitive features inside modern convolutional networks have absorbed much of its standalone role.

Why it matters for physical AI

Edges remain a lighting-robust cue for part localization, weld seam tracking, and fixture alignment in industrial vision, and edge-like features are among the first representations visual encoders learn.