Abstract Data Visualisation in Mobile VR Platforms

Data visualisation, as a key tool in data understanding, is widely used in science and everyday life. In order data visualisation to be effective, perceptual factors and the characteristics of the display interface play a crucial role. Virtual Reality is nowadays accepted as a valid medium for scientific visualisation, because of its inherent characteristics of real-world emulation and intuitive interaction. However, the use of VR in abstract data visualisation is still limited. In this research, I investigate the use and suitability of mobile phone-based Virtual Reality as a medium for abstract data visualisation. I develop a prototype VR Android application and visualise data using the Scatterplot and Parallel Coordinates methods. After that, I conduct a user study to compare the effectiveness of the mobile VR application compared to a similar screen-based one by implementing some data exploration scenarios. The study results, while not being statistically significant, show improved accuracy and speed in the mobile VR visualisation application. The main conclusions are two-fold: Virtual Reality is beneficial for abstract data visualisation, even in the case of limited processing power and display resolution. Mobile VR, an affordable alternative to expensive desktop VR set-ups can be utilized as a data visualisation platform

Markerless human pose estimation for biomedical applications: a survey

Markerless Human Pose Estimation (HPE) proved its potential to support decision making and assessment in many fields of application. HPE is often preferred to traditional marker-based Motion Capture systems due to the ease of setup, portability, and affordable cost of the technology. However, the exploitation of HPE in biomedical applications is still under investigation. This review aims to provide an overview of current biomedical applications of HPE. In this paper, we examine the main features of HPE approaches and discuss whether or not those features are of interest to biomedical applications. We also identify those areas where HPE is already in use and present peculiarities and trends followed by researchers and practitioners. We include here 25 approaches to HPE and more than 40 studies of HPE applied to motor development assessment, neuromuscolar rehabilitation, and gait & posture analysis. We conclude that markerless HPE offers great potential for extending diagnosis and rehabilitation outside hospitals and clinics, toward the paradigm of remote medical care

Cloud-based collaborative 3D reconstruction using smartphones

This article presents a pipeline that enables multiple users to collaboratively acquire images with monocular smartphones and derive a 3D point cloud using a remote reconstruction server. A set of key images are automatically selected from each smartphone’s camera video feed as multiple users record different viewpoints of an object, concurrently or at different time instants. Selected images are automatically processed and registered with an incremental Structure from Motion (SfM) algorithm in order to create a 3D model. Our incremental SfM approach enables on-the- y feedback to the user to be generated about current reconstruction progress. Feedback is provided in the form of a preview window showing the current 3D point cloud, enabling users to see if parts of a surveyed scene need further attention/coverage whilst they are still in situ. We evaluate our 3D reconstruction pipeline by performing experiments in uncontrolled and unconstrained real-world scenarios. Datasets are publicly available

Advanced visual slam and image segmentation techniques for augmented reality

Augmented reality can enhance human perception to experience a virtual-reality intertwined world by computer vision techniques. However, the basic techniques cannot handle complex large-scale scenes, tackle real-time occlusion, and render virtual objects in augmented reality. Therefore, this paper studies potential solutions, such as visual SLAM and image segmentation, that can address these challenges in the augmented reality visualizations. This paper provides a review of advanced visual SLAM and image segmentation techniques for augmented reality. In addition, applications of machine learning techniques for improving augmented reality are presented

Mapping and Semantic Perception for Service Robotics

Para realizar una tarea, los robots deben ser capaces de ubicarse en el entorno. Si un robot no sabe dónde se encuentra, es imposible que sea capaz de desplazarse para alcanzar el objetivo de su tarea. La localización y construcción de mapas simultánea, llamado SLAM, es un problema estudiado en la literatura que ofrece una solución a este problema. El objetivo de esta tesis es desarrollar técnicas que permitan a un robot comprender el entorno mediante la incorporación de información semántica. Esta información también proporcionará una mejora en la localización y navegación de las plataformas robóticas. Además, también demostramos cómo un robot con capacidades limitadas puede construir de forma fiable y eficiente los mapas semánticos necesarios para realizar sus tareas cotidianas.El sistema de construcción de mapas presentado tiene las siguientes características: En el lado de la construcción de mapas proponemos la externalización de cálculos costosos a un servidor en nube. Además, proponemos métodos para registrar información semántica relevante con respecto a los mapas geométricos estimados. En cuanto a la reutilización de los mapas construidos, proponemos un método que combina la construcción de mapas con la navegación de un robot para explorar mejor un entorno y disponer de un mapa semántico con los objetos relevantes para una misión determinada.En primer lugar, desarrollamos un algoritmo semántico de SLAM visual que se fusiona los puntos estimados en el mapa, carentes de sentido, con objetos conocidos. Utilizamos un sistema monocular de SLAM basado en un EKF (Filtro Extendido de Kalman) centrado principalmente en la construcción de mapas geométricos compuestos únicamente por puntos o bordes; pero sin ningún significado o contenido semántico asociado. El mapa no anotado se construye utilizando sólo la información extraída de una secuencia de imágenes monoculares. La parte semántica o anotada del mapa -los objetos- se estiman utilizando la información de la secuencia de imágenes y los modelos de objetos precalculados. Como segundo paso, mejoramos el método de SLAM presentado anteriormente mediante el diseño y la implementación de un método distribuido. La optimización de mapas y el almacenamiento se realiza como un servicio en la nube, mientras que el cliente con poca necesidad de computo, se ejecuta en un equipo local ubicado en el robot y realiza el cálculo de la trayectoria de la cámara. Los ordenadores con los que está equipado el robot se liberan de la mayor parte de los cálculos y el único requisito adicional es una conexión a Internet.El siguiente paso es explotar la información semántica que somos capaces de generar para ver cómo mejorar la navegación de un robot. La contribución en esta tesis se centra en la detección 3D y en el diseño e implementación de un sistema de construcción de mapas semántico.A continuación, diseñamos e implementamos un sistema de SLAM visual capaz de funcionar con robustez en entornos poblados debido a que los robots de servicio trabajan en espacios compartidos con personas. El sistema presentado es capaz de enmascarar las zonas de imagen ocupadas por las personas, lo que aumenta la robustez, la reubicación, la precisión y la reutilización del mapa geométrico. Además, calcula la trayectoria completa de cada persona detectada con respecto al mapa global de la escena, independientemente de la ubicación de la cámara cuando la persona fue detectada.Por último, centramos nuestra investigación en aplicaciones de rescate y seguridad. Desplegamos un equipo de robots en entornos que plantean múltiples retos que implican la planificación de tareas, la planificación del movimiento, la localización y construcción de mapas, la navegación segura, la coordinación y las comunicaciones entre todos los robots. La arquitectura propuesta integra todas las funcionalidades mencionadas, asi como varios aspectos de investigación novedosos para lograr una exploración real, como son: localización basada en características semánticas-topológicas, planificación de despliegue en términos de las características semánticas aprendidas y reconocidas, y construcción de mapas.In order to perform a task, robots need to be able to locate themselves in the environment. If a robot does not know where it is, it is impossible for it to move, reach its goal and complete the task. Simultaneous Localization and Mapping, known as SLAM, is a problem extensively studied in the literature for enabling robots to locate themselves in unknown environments. The goal of this thesis is to develop and describe techniques to allow a service robot to understand the environment by incorporating semantic information. This information will also provide an improvement in the localization and navigation of robotic platforms. In addition, we also demonstrate how a simple robot can reliably and efficiently build the semantic maps needed to perform its quotidian tasks. The mapping system as built has the following features. On the map building side we propose the externalization of expensive computations to a cloud server. Additionally, we propose methods to register relevant semantic information with respect to the estimated geometrical maps. Regarding the reuse of the maps built, we propose a method that combines map building with robot navigation to better explore a room in order to obtain a semantic map with the relevant objects for a given mission. Firstly, we develop a semantic Visual SLAM algorithm that merges traditional with known objects in the estimated map. We use a monocular EKF (Extended Kalman Filter) SLAM system that has mainly been focused on producing geometric maps composed simply of points or edges but without any associated meaning or semantic content. The non-annotated map is built using only the information extracted from an image sequence. The semantic or annotated parts of the map –the objects– are estimated using the information in the image sequence and the precomputed object models. As a second step we improve the EKF SLAM presented previously by designing and implementing a visual SLAM system based on a distributed framework. The expensive map optimization and storage is allocated as a service in the Cloud, while a light camera tracking client runs on a local computer. The robot’s onboard computers are freed from most of the computation, the only extra requirement being an internet connection. The next step is to exploit the semantic information that we are able to generate to see how to improve the navigation of a robot. The contribution of this thesis is focused on 3D sensing which we use to design and implement a semantic mapping system. We then design and implement a visual SLAM system able to perform robustly in populated environments due to service robots work in environments where people are present. The system is able to mask the image regions occupied by people out of the rigid SLAM pipeline, which boosts the robustness, the relocation, the accuracy and the reusability of the geometrical map. In addition, it estimates the full trajectory of each detected person with respect to the scene global map, irrespective of the location of the moving camera at the point when the people were imaged. Finally, we focus our research on rescue and security applications. The deployment of a multirobot team in confined environments poses multiple challenges that involve task planning, motion planning, localization and mapping, safe navigation, coordination and communications among all the robots. The architecture integrates, jointly with all the above-mentioned functionalities, several novel features to achieve real exploration: localization based on semantic-topological features, deployment planning in terms of the semantic features learned and recognized, and map building.<br /

3D Reconstruction of Historic Landmarks from Flickr Pictures

Tato práce popisuje problematiku návrhu a vývoje aplikace pro rekonstrukci 3D modelů z 2D obrazových dat, označované jako bundle adjustment. Práce analyzuje proces 3D rekonstrukce a důkladně popisuje jednotlivé kroky. Prvním z kroků je automatizované získání obrazové sady z internetu. Je představena sada skriptů pro hromadné stahování obrázků ze služeb Flickr a Google Images a shrnuty požadavky na tyto obrázky pro co nejlepší 3D rekonstrukci. Práce dále popisuje různé detektory, extraktory a párovací algoritmy klíčových bodů v obraze s cílem najít nejvhodnější kombinaci pro rekonstrukci budov. Poté je vysvětlen proces rekonstrukce 3D struktury, její optimalizace a jak je tato problematika realizovaná v našem programu. Závěr práce testuje výsledky získané z implementovaného programu pro několik různých datových sad a porovnává je s výsledky ostatních podobných programů, představených v úvodu práce.This thesis describes challenges in design and development of an application which reconstructs 3D model given set of 2D images. This technique is called bundle adjustment. The thesi discusses the 3D reconstruction pipeline and elaborates on each step. The first step covers dataset acquisition from the internet. The scripts used to download such data from Flickr and Google Images are described and image characteristics necessary for a good reconstruction are identified. Hereafter the paper compares different feature detectors, extractors and matchers to find best suited combination for reconstruction of historic landmarks. This is followed by description the reconstruction and optimization steps and their implementation. At the end of the thesis the implemented solution is examined on several datasets and compared with other existing solutions presented at the very beginning of the thesis.

Electronic Imaging & the Visual Arts. EVA 2013 Florence

Important Information Technology topics are presented: multimedia systems, data-bases, protection of data, access to the content. Particular reference is reserved to digital images (2D, 3D) regarding Cultural Institutions (Museums, Libraries, Palace – Monuments, Archaeological Sites). The main parts of the Conference Proceedings regard: Strategic Issues, EC Projects and Related Networks & Initiatives, International Forum on “Culture & Technology”, 2D – 3D Technologies & Applications, Virtual Galleries – Museums and Related Initiatives, Access to the Culture Information. Three Workshops are related to: International Cooperation, Innovation and Enterprise, Creative Industries and Cultural Tourism