Improving a Low Cost Surveillance System

The purpose of this work is improving the functionality and usability of a low cost commercial surveillance system. The original system provides simple motion detection and sends alert messages by means of FTP or email. The modified system adds a software layer to the original system for implementing desirable image processing features. Particularly, people detection functionality was implemented by means of OpenCV Oriented Gradient Histograms . Also the modified system adds the use of Telegram messaging service for sending alerts. We compare the performance of both original and modified system regarding the intruder detection. Also the usability of both proposed and original system was tested by means of System Usability Scale (SUS).Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informátic

Changes in Day/Night Activity in the 6-OHDA-Induced Experimental Model of Parkinson’s Disease: Exploring Prodromal Biomarkers

The search for experimental models mimicking an early stage of Parkinson's disease (PD) before motor manifestations is fundamental in order to explore early signs and get a better prognosis. Interestingly, our previous studies have indicated that 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) is a suitable model to induce an early degeneration of the nigrostriatal system without any gross motor impairment. Considering our previous findings, we aim to implement a novel system to monitor rats after intrastriatal injection of 6-OHDA to detect and analyze physiological changes underlying prodromal PD. Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats were unilaterally injected with 6-OHDA (n = 10) or saline solution (n = 10) into the right striatum and placed in enriched environment cages where the activity was monitored. After 2 weeks, the amphetamine test was performed before the sacrifice. Immunohistochemistry was developed for the morphological evaluation and western blot analysis to assess molecular changes. Home-cage monitoring revealed behavioral changes in response to 6-OHDA administration including significant hyperactivity and hypoactivity during the light and dark phase, respectively, turning out in a change of the circadian timing. A preclinical stage of PD was functionally confirmed with the amphetamine test. Moreover, the loss of tyrosine hydroxylase expression was significantly correlated with the motor results, and 6-OHDA induced early proapoptotic events. Our findings provide evidence for a novel prodromal 6-OHDA model following a customized monitoring system that could give insights to detect non-motor deficits and molecular targets to test neuroprotective/neurorestorative agents.This study has been financially supported by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) PPG 17/51 and GIU 092/19, the Basque Government (Saiotek SA-2010/00028, ELEKIN, Engineering and Society and Bioengineering, and ELKARTEK 18/99), "Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion" (SAF2016 77758 R), FEDER funds, the European Union COST Action (CA15225, CA18106), DomusVi Foundation (FP18/76), and Government of Gipuzkoa (HELENA: Multisensory stimulation tools for Alzheimer Disease). CR appreciates the previous economic support received from UPV/EHU and the current postdoctoral fellowship received from Alfonso Martin Escudero Foundation

Sistema de vigilancia para hogares de bajo costo con cámaras fijas y notificaciones a través de mensajería instantánea

Muchos de los dispositivos para monitoreo de video, actualmente disponibles en el mercado, cuentan con herramientas automáticas, para alertar ante eventos o posibles amenazas, entre las cuales se incluye software de visión por computadora. En este trabajo, se evaluará las características y desempeño de una cámara de vigilancia de bajo costo que posee entre sus funciones la detección de movimiento en video. Se propone, para mejorar sus prestaciones generales, la utilización de una capa adicional de software que interactúa con el hardware y software provisto por el sistema comercial. El sistema implementado permite recibir las alertas enviadas por la cámara en una aplicación de mensajería instantánea, así como también la activación y desactivación de las alertas. Por otra parte, se introducen la detección de movimiento en video y detección de personas en imagenes. Se estudiaron algoritmos para la detección de movimiento, profundizando en la técnica de sustracción de fondo, la cual es ampliamente utilizada en cámaras de seguridad y vigilancia. También, se estudiaron algoritmos para la detección de personas en imágenes, describiendo el método de histogramas de gradientes orientados. Se implementó una versión de este algoritmo utilizando la librería OpenCV. Este algoritmo, se incorporó al sistema implementado, para mejorar las prestación de la cámara comercial, de tal manera que al recibir una imagen se pueda analizar y en caso de detectar personas se aumente la imagen original encuadrando las personas detectadas y aumentado la semántica del alerta enviada a la aplicación de mensajería instantánea. Por último, se realizaron diferentes pruebas con el objetivo de: ● Medir la eficacia del sistema de detección de movimiento provisto por el sistema comercial. ● Medir la exactitud y precisión del algoritmo de detección de personas implementado. ● Evaluar la usabilidad de los nuevos medios para activar el sistema de alarmas y recibir las notificaciones. Los logros obtenidos fueron: ● Una mejora en la usabilidad general del sistema de vigilancia. ● Una mejor clasificación de las alertas enviadas por el sistema comercial.Facultad de Informátic

A Novel Multi-View Table Tennis Umpiring Framework

This research investigates the development of a low-cost multi-view umpiring framework, as an alternative to the current expensive systems that are almost exclusively restricted to elite professional sports. Table tennis has been selected as the testbed because, while automating the process is challenging, it has many different complex match elements including the service, return and rallies, which are governed by a strict set of regulations. The focus is mainly on the rally element rather than the whole match. Ball detection and tracking in video frames are undertaken to determine reliably the ball position relative to key reference objects like the table surface and net, and the ball’s flight path is used to determine the rally’s status. While a low-cost option has benefits, it is technically challenging due to the limited number of cameras and generally low video resolution used. This thesis presents a portable multi-view umpiring framework that identifies each state change in a rally. It makes three significant contributions to knowledge: i) a reliable ball detection strategy that accurately detects the location of the ball in low-resolution sequences; ii) a novel framework for ball tracking using a multi-view system, and iii) a new state-machine based evaluation system for analysing table tennis rallies. In a series of ten different test scenarios, the system achieved an average of 94% system detection rate and 100% accurate decisions. A test sequence of duration 1 s can be processed in 8 s, leading to a delay of only 7 s, which is considered acceptable for practical purposes. This solution has the potential to reform the way matches are umpired, providing objectivity in resolving disputed decisions. It affords an economic technology for amateur players, while the multi-view facility is extendible to other relevant ball-based sports. Finally, the ball flight path analysis mechanism can be a valuable training tool for skills development