Focal Spot, Spring 2003

https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/focal_spot_archives/1093/thumbnail.jp

Help I'm surrounded

A dimly lit auditorium, the smell of popcorn and hot-dogs accompanied by the sound of fizzy drinks slurped through straws; the lights dim and a hush of expectation descends, sound fades in from all around, drawing the audience into the illusion of another reality. This is the world of the cinema, but is it possible to recreate this cinematic surround sound experience in the home? In order to address this question it is necessary to understand what is meant by "cinematic" surround sound and to consider some of the challenges faced by those seeking to translate it to the home environment. This article examines these issues through an exploration of the development of surround sound in the cinema and its transference to the home and concludes with a tentative look towards possible future developments

Microlenses for stereoscopic image formation

This paper presents microlenses for integration on a stereoscopic image sensor in CMOS technology for use in biomedical devices. It is intended to provide an image sensor with a stereoscopic vision. An array of microlenses potentiates stereoscopic vision and maximizes the color fidelity. An array of optical filters tuned at the primary colors will enable a multicolor usage. The material selected for fabricating the microlens was the AZ4562 positive photoresist. The reflow method applied to the photoresist allowing the fabrication of microlenses with high reproducibility.This work was fully supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the project FCT/PTDC/EEA-ELC/109936/2009

Study of a stereo electro-optical tracker system for the measurement of model deformations at the national transonic facility

An electro-optical method to measure the aeroelastic deformations of wind tunnel models is examined. The multitarget tracking performance of one of the two electronic cameras comprising the stereo pair is modeled and measured. The properties of the targets at the model, the camera optics, target illumination, number of targets, acquisition time, target velocities, and tracker performance are considered. The electronic camera system is shown to be capable of locating, measuring, and following the positions of 5 to 50 targets attached to the model at measuring rates up to 5000 targets per second

Real-time tracking using stereo and motion: Visual perception for space robotics

The state-of-the-art in computing technology is rapidly attaining the performance necessary to implement many early vision algorithms at real-time rates. This new capability is helping to accelerate progress in vision research by improving our ability to evaluate the performance of algorithms in dynamic environments. In particular, we are becoming much more aware of the relative stability of various visual measurements in the presence of camera motion and system noise. This new processing speed is also allowing us to raise our sights toward accomplishing much higher-level processing tasks, such as figure-ground separation and active object tracking, in real-time. This paper describes a methodology for using early visual measurements to accomplish higher-level tasks; it then presents an overview of the high-speed accelerators developed at Teleos to support early visual measurements. The final section describes the successful deployment of a real-time vision system to provide visual perception for the Extravehicular Activity Helper/Retriever robotic system in tests aboard NASA's KC135 reduced gravity aircraft

Modern lithographic techniques applied to stereographic imaging

The main aim of the research has been to produce and evaluate a high-quality diffusion screen to display projected film and television images. The screens have also been found to effectively de-pixelate LCD arrays viewed at a magnification of approximately 4x. The production process relies on the formation of localized refractive index gradients in a photopolymer. The photopolymer, specially formulated and supplied by Du Pont, is exposed to actinic light through a precision contact mask to initiate polymerization within the exposed areas. As polymerization proceeds, a monomer concentration gradient exists between the exposed and unexposed regions allowing the monomer molecules to diffuse. Since the longer polymer chains do not diffuse as readily, the molecular concentration of the material, which is related to its refractive index, is then no longer uniform. The generation of this refractive index profile can, to some extent, be controlled by careful exposure of the photopolymer through the correct mask so that the resulting diffusion screen can be tailored to suit specific viewing requirements. [Continues.