Perception

Keypoint Detection

Keypoint detection is the localization of distinctive points in images, spanning classical corner and blob detectors such as SIFT and ORB used for matching and SLAM, learned detectors like SuperPoint, and semantic keypoints denoting functional object parts. Keypoint-based manipulation methods such as kPAM represent objects by task-relevant points, providing a compact, category-level state that transfers across object instances.

Why it matters for physical AI

Sparse keypoints offer an interpretable middle ground between raw pixels and full pose, giving manipulation policies category-level generalization and giving SLAM its geometric anchors.