Focussing on sight

Can a computer with a web cam 'see'? Can a digital camera see? A camera may be able to record the patterns of light in front of it, but is that the same as seeing? Does an eye see anything on its own? Light forms a pattern on the retina but is the retina seeing anything anymore than a mirror sees?

We actually mean much more than that when we talk about our ability to 'see'. It's a brain thing as much as an eye thing. Seeing is about making out objects in the scene, about making sense of what is there in front of your eyes. If computer scientists are to make computers really 'see' then they need to make them understand what those webcams and cameras are recording. They are starting to see how to do it.