We humans are often described as ‘very visual creatures’, able to exploit the rich information in our special visual world. Can we build machines that learn to do the same? I will describe how computer vision is impacting a wide range of sectors - from healthcare to safety and security - from sports, games and entertainment to industrial automation. Using a selection of computer vision projects that I’ve worked on at York, I’ll attempt to convey why the field is interesting, challenging and important - and what it promises for the future.