Machine Vision System to Induct Binocular Wide-Angle Foveated Information into Both the Human and Computers - Feature Generation Algorithm based on DFT for Binocular Fixation

This paper introduces a machine vision system, which is suitable for cooperative works between the human and computer. This system provides images inputted from a stereo camera head not only to the processor but also to the user’s sight as binocular wide-angle foveated (WAF) information, thus it is applicable for Virtual Reality (VR) systems such as tele-existence or training experts. The stereo camera head plays a role to get required input images foveated by special wide-angle optics under camera view direction control and 3D head mount display (HMD) displays fused 3D images to the user. Moreover, an analog video signal processing device much inspired from a structure of the human visual system realizes a unique way to provide WAF information to plural processors and the user. Therefore, this developed vision system is also much expected to be applicable for the human brain and vision research, because the design concept is to mimic the human visual system. Further, an algorithm to generate features using Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) for binocular fixation in order to provide well-fused 3D images to 3D HMD is proposed. This paper examines influences of applying this algorithm to space variant images such as WAF images, based on experimental results

Foveation for 3D visualization and stereo imaging

Even though computer vision and digital photogrammetry share a number of goals, techniques, and methods, the potential for cooperation between these fields is not fully exploited. In attempt to help bridging the two, this work brings a well-known computer vision and image processing technique called foveation and introduces it to photogrammetry, creating a hybrid application. The results may be beneficial for both fields, plus the general stereo imaging community, and virtual reality applications. Foveation is a biologically motivated image compression method that is often used for transmitting videos and images over networks. It is possible to view foveation as an area of interest management method as well as a compression technique. While the most common foveation applications are in 2D there are a number of binocular approaches as well. For this research, the current state of the art in the literature on level of detail, human visual system, stereoscopic perception, stereoscopic displays, 2D and 3D foveation, and digital photogrammetry were reviewed. After the review, a stereo-foveation model was constructed and an implementation was realized to demonstrate a proof of concept. The conceptual approach is treated as generic, while the implementation was conducted under certain limitations, which are documented in the relevant context. A stand-alone program called Foveaglyph is created in the implementation process. Foveaglyph takes a stereo pair as input and uses an image matching algorithm to find the parallax values. It then calculates the 3D coordinates for each pixel from the geometric relationships between the object and the camera configuration or via a parallax function. Once 3D coordinates are obtained, a 3D image pyramid is created. Then, using a distance dependent level of detail function, spherical volume rings with varying resolutions throughout the 3D space are created. The user determines the area of interest. The result of the application is a user controlled, highly compressed non-uniform 3D anaglyph image. 2D foveation is also provided as an option. This type of development in a photogrammetric visualization unit is beneficial for system performance. The research is particularly relevant for large displays and head mounted displays. Although, the implementation, because it is done for a single user, would possibly be best suited to a head mounted display (HMD) application. The resulting stereo-foveated image can be loaded moderately faster than the uniform original. Therefore, the program can potentially be adapted to an active vision system and manage the scene as the user glances around, given that an eye tracker determines where exactly the eyes accommodate. This exploration may also be extended to robotics and other robot vision applications. Additionally, it can also be used for attention management and the viewer can be directed to the object(s) of interest the demonstrator would like to present (e.g. in 3D cinema). Based on the literature, we also believe this approach should help resolve several problems associated with stereoscopic displays such as the accommodation convergence problem and diplopia. While the available literature provides some empirical evidence to support the usability and benefits of stereo foveation, further tests are needed. User surveys related to the human factors in using stereo foveated images, such as its possible contribution to prevent user discomfort and virtual simulator sickness (VSS) in virtual environments, are left as future work.reviewe

Biologically Inspired Visual Control of Flying Robots

Insects posses an incredible ability to navigate their environment at high speed, despite having small brains and limited visual acuity. Through selective pressure they have evolved computationally efficient means for simultaneously performing navigation tasks and instantaneous control responses. The insect’s main source of information is visual, and through a hierarchy of processes this information is used for perception; at the lowest level are local neurons for detecting image motion and edges, at the higher level are interneurons to spatially integrate the output of previous stages. These higher level processes could be considered as models of the insect's environment, reducing the amount of information to only that which evolution has determined relevant. The scope of this thesis is experimenting with biologically inspired visual control of flying robots through information processing, models of the environment, and flight behaviour. In order to test these ideas I developed a custom quadrotor robot and experimental platform; the 'wasp' system. All algorithms ran on the robot, in real-time or better, and hypotheses were always verified with flight experiments. I developed a new optical flow algorithm that is computationally efficient, and able to be applied in a regular pattern to the image. This technique is used later in my work when considering patterns in the image motion field. Using optical flow in the log-polar coordinate system I developed attitude estimation and time-to-contact algorithms. I find that the log-polar domain is useful for analysing global image motion; and in many ways equivalent to the retinotopic arrange- ment of neurons in the optic lobe of insects, used for the same task. I investigated the role of depth in insect flight using two experiments. In the first experiment, to study how concurrent visual control processes might be combined, I developed a control system using the combined output of two algorithms. The first algorithm was a wide-field optical flow balance strategy and the second an obstacle avoidance strategy which used inertial information to estimate the depth to objects in the environment - objects whose depth was significantly different to their surround- ings. In the second experiment I created an altitude control system which used a model of the environment in the Hough space, and a biologically inspired sampling strategy, to efficiently detect the ground. Both control systems were used to control the flight of a quadrotor in an indoor environment. The methods that insects use to perceive edges and control their flight in response had not been applied to artificial systems before. I developed a quadrotor control system that used the distribution of edges in the environment to regulate the robot height and avoid obstacles. I also developed a model that predicted the distribution of edges in a static scene, and using this prediction was able to estimate the quadrotor altitude

Intelligent Agent Architectures: Reactive Planning Testbed

An Integrated Agent Architecture (IAA) is a framework or paradigm for constructing intelligent agents. Intelligent agents are collections of sensors, computers, and effectors that interact with their environments in real time in goal-directed ways. Because of the complexity involved in designing intelligent agents, it has been found useful to approach the construction of agents with some organizing principle, theory, or paradigm that gives shape to the agent's components and structures their relationships. Given the wide variety of approaches being taken in the field, the question naturally arises: Is there a way to compare and evaluate these approaches? The purpose of the present work is to develop common benchmark tasks and evaluation metrics to which intelligent agents, including complex robotic agents, constructed using various architectural approaches can be subjected

Modeling the Human Visuo-Motor System for Remote-Control Operation

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. 2018. Major: Computer Science. Advisors: Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos, Berenice Mettler. 1 computer file (PDF); 172 pages.Successful operation of a teleoperated miniature rotorcraft relies on capabilities including guidance, trajectory following, feedback control, and environmental perception. For many operating scenarios fragile automation systems are unable to provide adequate performance. In contrast, human-in-the-loop systems demonstrate an ability to adapt to changing and complex environments, stability in control response, high level goal selection and planning, and the ability to perceive and process large amounts of information. Modeling the perceptual processes of the human operator provides the foundation necessary for a systems based approach to the design of control and display systems used by remotely operated vehicles. In this work we consider flight tasks for remotely controlled miniature rotorcraft operating in indoor environments. Operation of agile robotic systems in three dimensional spaces requires a detailed understanding of the perceptual aspects of the problem as well as knowledge of the task and models of the operator response. When modeling the human-in-the-loop the dynamics of the vehicle, environment, and human perception-action are tightly coupled in space and time. The dynamic response of the overall system emerges from the interplay of perception and action. The main questions to be answered in this work are: i) what approach does the human operator implement when generating a control and guidance response? ii) how is information about the vehicle and environment extracted by the human? iii) can the gaze patterns of the pilot be decoded to provide information for estimation and control? In relation to existing research this work differs by focusing on fast acting dynamic systems in multiple dimensions and investigating how the gaze can be exploited to provide action-relevant information. To study human-in-the-loop systems the development and integration of the experimental infrastructure is described. Utilizing the infrastructure, a theoretical framework for computational modeling of the human pilot’s perception-action is proposed and verified experimentally. The benefits of the human visuo-motor model are demonstrated through application examples where the perceptual and control functions of a teleoperation system are augmented to reduce workload and provide a more natural human-machine interface

Audio for Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Realities: Proceedings of ICSA 2019 ; 5th International Conference on Spatial Audio ; September 26th to 28th, 2019, Ilmenau, Germany

The ICSA 2019 focuses on a multidisciplinary bringing together of developers, scientists, users, and content creators of and for spatial audio systems and services. A special focus is on audio for so-called virtual, augmented, and mixed realities. The fields of ICSA 2019 are: - Development and scientific investigation of technical systems and services for spatial audio recording, processing and reproduction / - Creation of content for reproduction via spatial audio systems and services / - Use and application of spatial audio systems and content presentation services / - Media impact of content and spatial audio systems and services from the point of view of media science. The ICSA 2019 is organized by VDT and TU Ilmenau with support of Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT

Third International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Automation for Space 1994

The Third International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Automation for Space (i-SAIRAS 94), held October 18-20, 1994, in Pasadena, California, was jointly sponsored by NASA, ESA, and Japan's National Space Development Agency, and was hosted by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the California Institute of Technology. i-SAIRAS 94 featured presentations covering a variety of technical and programmatic topics, ranging from underlying basic technology to specific applications of artificial intelligence and robotics to space missions. i-SAIRAS 94 featured a special workshop on planning and scheduling and provided scientists, engineers, and managers with the opportunity to exchange theoretical ideas, practical results, and program plans in such areas as space mission control, space vehicle processing, data analysis, autonomous spacecraft, space robots and rovers, satellite servicing, and intelligent instruments

Fourth Annual Workshop on Space Operations Applications and Research (SOAR 90)

The proceedings of the SOAR workshop are presented. The technical areas included are as follows: Automation and Robotics; Environmental Interactions; Human Factors; Intelligent Systems; and Life Sciences. NASA and Air Force programmatic overviews and panel sessions were also held in each technical area