Allowing computers to see and interpret information rather than just store and catalog seems like something out of the movie 2001 (though that year is quickly slipping away as we speak). Intel wants to allow computers to view the world more like we do and just released free software that allows developers to build computers to "see" in stereo. The software, which enables computers to recognize depth as well as flat images, is said to enhance a wide variety of vision applications including gesture recognition, object tracking, and face recognition. The software is available through the Open Source Computer Vision Library (OpenCV 2.1), a toolbox of over 500 imaging functions that helps researchers develop computer vision applications. Existing 2D computer vision applications recognize scenes as single flat color fields. The new stereoscopic code will let computers use depth information to breakout individual objects and surfaces in a scene. In addition, the new 2.1 release includes an optional interface so all OpenCV functions can be imported into Matlab, a software development tool for computer vision research. Intel thinks the software could lead to a variety of vision-based applications, such as toys that respond to a child's movements and monitors that warn safety and security people of life-threatening behavior. OpenCV has seen over 75,000 downloads of code and has attracted more than 2,000 registered members to its user group. The open source software release includes C source code for all of the library's functionality and a royalty-free redistribution license.