29,267 research outputs found
Terrain analysis using radar shape-from-shading
This paper develops a maximum a posteriori (MAP) probability estimation framework for shape-from-shading (SFS) from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The aim is to use this method to reconstruct surface topography from a single radar image of relatively complex terrain. Our MAP framework makes explicit how the recovery of local surface orientation depends on the whereabouts of terrain edge features and the available radar reflectance information. To apply the resulting process to real world radar data, we require probabilistic models for the appearance of terrain features and the relationship between the orientation of surface normals and the radar reflectance. We show that the SAR data can be modeled using a Rayleigh-Bessel distribution and use this distribution to develop a maximum likelihood algorithm for detecting and labeling terrain edge features. Moreover, we show how robust statistics can be used to estimate the characteristic parameters of this distribution. We also develop an empirical model for the SAR reflectance function. Using the reflectance model, we perform Lambertian correction so that a conventional SFS algorithm can be applied to the radar data. The initial surface normal direction is constrained to point in the direction of the nearest ridge or ravine feature. Each surface normal must fall within a conical envelope whose axis is in the direction of the radar illuminant. The extent of the envelope depends on the corrected radar reflectance and the variance of the radar signal statistics. We explore various ways of smoothing the field of surface normals using robust statistics. Finally, we show how to reconstruct the terrain surface from the smoothed field of surface normal vectors. The proposed algorithm is applied to various SAR data sets containing relatively complex terrain structure
Optical techniques for 3D surface reconstruction in computer-assisted laparoscopic surgery
One of the main challenges for computer-assisted surgery (CAS) is to determine the intra-opera- tive morphology and motion of soft-tissues. This information is prerequisite to the registration of multi-modal patient-specific data for enhancing the surgeon’s navigation capabilites by observ- ing beyond exposed tissue surfaces and for providing intelligent control of robotic-assisted in- struments. In minimally invasive surgery (MIS), optical techniques are an increasingly attractive approach for in vivo 3D reconstruction of the soft-tissue surface geometry. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art methods for optical intra-operative 3D reconstruction in laparoscopic surgery and discusses the technical challenges and future perspectives towards clinical translation. With the recent paradigm shift of surgical practice towards MIS and new developments in 3D opti- cal imaging, this is a timely discussion about technologies that could facilitate complex CAS procedures in dynamic and deformable anatomical regions
Structured illumination microscopy with unknown patterns and a statistical prior
Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) improves resolution by
down-modulating high-frequency information of an object to fit within the
passband of the optical system. Generally, the reconstruction process requires
prior knowledge of the illumination patterns, which implies a well-calibrated
and aberration-free system. Here, we propose a new \textit{algorithmic
self-calibration} strategy for SIM that does not need to know the exact
patterns {\it a priori}, but only their covariance. The algorithm, termed
PE-SIMS, includes a Pattern-Estimation (PE) step requiring the uniformity of
the sum of the illumination patterns and a SIM reconstruction procedure using a
Statistical prior (SIMS). Additionally, we perform a pixel reassignment process
(SIMS-PR) to enhance the reconstruction quality. We achieve 2 better
resolution than a conventional widefield microscope, while remaining
insensitive to aberration-induced pattern distortion and robust against
parameter tuning
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High-Performance Integrated Window and Façade Solutions for California
The researchers developed a new generation of high-performance façade systems and supporting design and management tools to support industry in meeting California’s greenhouse gas reduction targets, reduce energy consumption, and enable an adaptable response to minimize real-time demands on the electricity grid. The project resulted in five outcomes: (1) The research team developed an R-5, 1-inch thick, triplepane, insulating glass unit with a novel low-conductance aluminum frame. This technology can help significantly reduce residential cooling and heating loads, particularly during the evening. (2) The team developed a prototype of a windowintegrated local ventilation and energy recovery device that provides clean, dry fresh air through the façade with minimal energy requirements. (3) A daylight-redirecting louver system was prototyped to redirect sunlight 15–40 feet from the window. Simulations estimated that lighting energy use could be reduced by 35–54 percent without glare. (4) A control system incorporating physics-based equations and a mathematical solver was prototyped and field tested to demonstrate feasibility. Simulations estimated that total electricity costs could be reduced by 9-28 percent on sunny summer days through adaptive control of operable shading and daylighting components and the thermostat compared to state-of-the-art automatic façade controls in commercial building perimeter zones. (5) Supporting models and tools needed by industry for technology R&D and market transformation activities were validated. Attaining California’s clean energy goals require making a fundamental shift from today’s ad-hoc assemblages of static components to turnkey, intelligent, responsive, integrated building façade systems. These systems offered significant reductions in energy use, peak demand, and operating cost in California
Shape reconstruction from gradient data
We present a novel method for reconstructing the shape of an object from
measured gradient data. A certain class of optical sensors does not measure the
shape of an object, but its local slope. These sensors display several
advantages, including high information efficiency, sensitivity, and robustness.
For many applications, however, it is necessary to acquire the shape, which
must be calculated from the slopes by numerical integration. Existing
integration techniques show drawbacks that render them unusable in many cases.
Our method is based on approximation employing radial basis functions. It can
be applied to irregularly sampled, noisy, and incomplete data, and it
reconstructs surfaces both locally and globally with high accuracy.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, zip-file, submitted to Applied Optic
Shape from periodic texture using the eigenvectors of local affine distortion
This paper shows how the local slant and tilt angles of regularly textured curved surfaces can be estimated directly, without the need for iterative numerical optimization, We work in the frequency domain and measure texture distortion using the affine distortion of the pattern of spectral peaks. The key theoretical contribution is to show that the directions of the eigenvectors of the affine distortion matrices can be used to estimate local slant and tilt angles of tangent planes to curved surfaces. In particular, the leading eigenvector points in the tilt direction. Although not as geometrically transparent, the direction of the second eigenvector can be used to estimate the slant direction. The required affine distortion matrices are computed using the correspondences between spectral peaks, established on the basis of their energy ordering. We apply the method to a variety of real-world and synthetic imagery
Geometry-Aware Network for Non-Rigid Shape Prediction from a Single View
We propose a method for predicting the 3D shape of a deformable surface from
a single view. By contrast with previous approaches, we do not need a
pre-registered template of the surface, and our method is robust to the lack of
texture and partial occlusions. At the core of our approach is a {\it
geometry-aware} deep architecture that tackles the problem as usually done in
analytic solutions: first perform 2D detection of the mesh and then estimate a
3D shape that is geometrically consistent with the image. We train this
architecture in an end-to-end manner using a large dataset of synthetic
renderings of shapes under different levels of deformation, material
properties, textures and lighting conditions. We evaluate our approach on a
test split of this dataset and available real benchmarks, consistently
improving state-of-the-art solutions with a significantly lower computational
time.Comment: Accepted at CVPR 201
Motion sequence analysis in the presence of figural cues
Published in final edited form as: Neurocomputing. 2015 January 5, 147: 485–491The perception of 3-D structure in dynamic sequences is believed to be subserved primarily through the use of motion cues. However, real-world sequences contain many figural shape cues besides the dynamic ones. We hypothesize that if figural cues are perceptually significant during sequence analysis, then inconsistencies in these cues over time would lead to percepts of non-rigidity in sequences showing physically rigid objects in motion. We develop an experimental paradigm to test this hypothesis and present results with two patients with impairments in motion perception due to focal neurological damage, as well as two control subjects. Consistent with our hypothesis, the data suggest that figural cues strongly influence the perception of structure in motion sequences, even to the extent of inducing non-rigid percepts in sequences where motion information alone would yield rigid structures. Beyond helping to probe the issue of shape perception, our experimental paradigm might also serve as a possible perceptual assessment tool in a clinical setting.The authors wish to thank all observers who participated in the experiments reported here. This research and the preparation of this manuscript was supported by the National Institutes of Health RO1 NS064100 grant to LMV. (RO1 NS064100 - National Institutes of Health)Accepted manuscrip
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