Multiframe visual-inertial blur estimation and removal for unmodified smartphones

Pictures and videos taken with smartphone cameras often suffer from motion blur due to handshake during the exposure time. Recovering a sharp frame from a blurry one is an ill-posed problem but in smartphone applications additional cues can aid the solution. We propose a blur removal algorithm that exploits information from subsequent camera frames and the built-in inertial sensors of an unmodified smartphone. We extend the fast non-blind uniform blur removal algorithm of Krishnan and Fergus to non-uniform blur and to multiple input frames. We estimate piecewise uniform blur kernels from the gyroscope measurements of the smartphone and we adaptively steer our multiframe deconvolution framework towards the sharpest input patches. We show in qualitative experiments that our algorithm can remove synthetic and real blur from individual frames of a degraded image sequence within a few seconds

Handbook of best practice and standards for 2D+ and 3D imaging of natural history collections

peer reviewedDigitising a collection is key to make it last even after the physical objects are no longer available. Almost all of the techniques currently available to digitise a natural history collection in 2D+ and 3D are listed herein. The techniques are explained in a way that even one without any knowledge on the subject may understand their principle. The strong and weak points of the techniques are discussed, and an overview of suitable collections and specimens are given for each one of them. Also, plenty of examples already digitised with each technique are provided together with the links to visualise them in 3D. After explaining all the different digitisation options, the subsequent chapters provide information on how to improve the 2D+ and 3D digital twins of the specimens and techniques are compared to each other by means of test specimens. These give a fast overview of the capabilities of the digitisation techniques. Possible solutions to avoid digitisation errors are equally provided. Lastly, the dissemination of the results and the data management of the 3D models are briefly discussed in the final chapters. Also, a large chapter is provided with several workflows that can be followed to get the best possible results

Designing a parent-driven coaching system for indirect speech therapy

Ph. D. ThesisBased on UK Department of Education annual report 2017, seven percent of preschool children experience speech and language developmental delays. The report goes on to argue that these delays negatively impact success at school. Such delays are more common amongst children with cerebral palsy or autism. Early intervention therapy is recognised as being vital in minimising the long-term impact of such delays and the responsibilities for delivering such therapies most often lies with parents or primary carers. Therapists typically support parents by providing speech and language therapy sessions. The primary goal of these sessions are; to teach the parents techniques to promote the children’s communication skills, identify communication opportunities, and adopt and adapt learned communication strategies in their everyday interactions with the children in their natural environment. While parent-delivered therapies can alleviate the demand on therapists and healthcare services by reducing the amount of professional contact time, they can also create an overwhelming burden on parents. This thesis is an in-depth exploration of early speech therapy programs and identifies the values and support needs that can used to understand the parents’ and therapists’ experiences as well as identify indictors to improve therapy adoption in this context. Additionally, this research investigates the role of coaching technology in improving communication and collaboration between parents. New parent-driven coaching technologies to support reflections on home practices and address the challenges of home therapy delivery is also presented. A case study approach is undertaken to explore this area with two different clinical partners and therapy protocols. Each study commences with a contextual investigation and moves toward co-design and evaluation of digital solutions with therapists and parents. The first case study, eSALT, presents the design of KeepCam, a parent-led selective data capture and sharing tool to support parents of children with cerebral palsy. The second case study presents the design of ePACT, a self-reflection tool to support parents of children with autism. This thesis reports on how mobile video coaching tools can be used as an external drive for continuous engagement with therapy programs and facilitate social support. It also identifies opportunities for technology to play important roles in supporting early therapy programs. The thesis draws upon these case studies to inform the design of a responsive model of support for indirect therapies, through which the role of design and power relations in healthcare are explored.Saudi Ministry of Education, King Saud Universit

Digital Techniques for Documenting and Preserving Cultural Heritage

In this unique collection the authors present a wide range of interdisciplinary methods to study, document, and conserve material cultural heritage. The methods used serve as exemplars of best practice with a wide variety of cultural heritage objects having been recorded, examined, and visualised. The objects range in date, scale, materials, and state of preservation and so pose different research questions and challenges for digitization, conservation, and ontological representation of knowledge. Heritage science and specialist digital technologies are presented in a way approachable to non-scientists, while a separate technical section provides details of methods and techniques, alongside examples of notable applications of spatial and spectral documentation of material cultural heritage, with selected literature and identification of future research. This book is an outcome of interdisciplinary research and debates conducted by the participants of the COST Action TD1201, Colour and Space in Cultural Heritage, 2012–16 and is an Open Access publication available under a CC BY-NC-ND licence.https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/mip_arc_cdh/1000/thumbnail.jp

Comparing Structure from Motion Photogrammetry and Computer Vision for Low-Cost 3D Cave Mapping: Tipton-Haynes Cave, Tennessee

Natural caves represent one of the most difficult environments to map with modern 3D technologies. In this study I tested two relatively new methods for 3D mapping in Tipton-Haynes Cave near Johnson City, Tennessee: Structure from Motion Photogrammetry and Computer Vision using Tango, an RGB-D (Red Green Blue and Depth) technology. Many different aspects of these two methods were analyzed with respect to the needs of average cave explorers. Major considerations were cost, time, accuracy, durability, simplicity, lighting setup, and drift. The 3D maps were compared to a conventional cave map drafted with measurements from a modern digital survey instrument called the DistoX2, a clinometer, and a measuring tape. Both 3D mapping methods worked, but photogrammetry proved to be too time consuming and laborious for capturing more than a few meters of passage. RGB-D was faster, more accurate, and showed promise for the future of low-cost 3D cave mapping