Senescent Changes in Orientation, Frequency, and 3-D Slant and Shape Perception

The ability to perceive the 3-Dimensional world is effortless despite the fact that the input to the visual system is 2-Dimensional. Attempts to derive biologically plausible models of shape from texture have focused on how changes in orientation and spatial frequency information are processed based on the response properties of primary visual cortex (V1) neurons. However, the relative contributions of orientation and spatial frequency information in detecting slant and shape from 3-D surfaces are not well understood. Additionally, in senescence, changes in optical components of the eye result in reduced frequency sensitivity, but whether concurrent neurophysiological changes affect the ability to discriminate orientation, and whether there is a resulting effect on form processing with age have remained unclear. An initial set of psychophysical experiments administered to younger adults showed that changes in orientation (or orientation modulations, OMs) dictated 3-D slant perception at shallow and steep slants, while changes in frequency (or frequency modulations, FMs) were only effective at steeper slants. This effect of OMs dictating slant and shape percept remained present even if a surface contained a texture with OM and FM components specifying inconsistent degrees of surface slant or curvature. Three additional psychophysical experiments were conducted to assess age-related changes in orientation and shape discrimination between younger and older observers. Consistent with previous findings in the literature, the older observers had significantly higher contrast thresholds than the younger group. Orientation discrimination thresholds were significantly higher for older observers when stimulus contrast was expressed as absolute values. However, when thresholds were evaluated in terms of multiples of detection threshold (to normalize stimuli for visibility across observers), age-related differences in orientation discrimination were not observed. Similarly, when observers performed a shape detection task, no significant difference was observed in shape detection thresholds across different spatial frequencies when age-related differences in contrast sensitivity were taken into account. However, when observers were given a shape discrimination task, older observers showed a significantly higher discrimination threshold at the highest spatial frequency even when thresholds were normalized for visibility. These findings suggest that while contrast detection thresholds increase with age, orientation and shape processing remain largely preserved. This suggests that in the context of degradations in optical and neural inputs, the overall percept of orientation and shape remains preserved with age, consistent with findings in several other areas in the visual system (e.g., color vision, perceived contrast). Our results suggest that the preservation of orientation and frequency perception with age at least partially contribute to the stability of 3-D shape perception, for stimuli in which orientation and frequency changes are cues for 3-D shape

Dominance of Orientation over Frequency in the Perception of 3-D Slant and Shape

In images of textured three-dimensional surfaces, pattern changes can be characterized as changes in orientation and spatial frequency, features for which neurons in primary visual cortex are classically selective. Previously, we have demonstrated that correct 3-D shape perception is contingent on the visibility of orientation flows that run parallel to the surface curvature. We sought to determine the relative contributions of orientation modulations (OMs) and frequency modulations (FMs) for the detection of slant and shape from 3-D surfaces. Results show that 1) when OM and FM indicate inconsistent degrees of surface slant or curvature, observer responses were consistent with the slant or curvature specified by OM even if the FM indicated a slant or curvature in the opposite direction to the same degree. 2) For slanted surfaces, OM information dictates slant perception at both shallow and steep slants while FM information is effective only for steep slants. Together these results point to a dominant role of OM information in the perception of 3-D slant and shape

Using uncertainty to link edge detection and local surface modelling

We establish a theoretical link between the 3D edge detection and the local surface approximation using uncertainty. As a practical application of the theory, we present a method for computing typical curvature features from 3D medical images. We use the uncertainties inherent in edge (and surface) detection in 2- and 3-dimensional images determined by quantitatively analyzing the uncertainty in edge position, orientation and magnitude produced by the multidimensional (2-D and 3-D) versions of the Monga-Deriche-Canny recursive separable edge-detector. These uncertainties allow to compute local geometric models (quadric surface patches) of the surface, which are suitable for reliably estimating local surface characteristics, for example, Gaussian and Mean curvature. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our methods compared to previous techniques. These curvatures are then used to obtain more structured features such as curvature extrema and lines of curvature extrema. The final goal is to extract robust geometric features on which registration and/or tracking procedures can rely

Change detection for objects on surfaces slanted in depth

Change detection for objects associated with a surface extended in depth might be more difficult than for a frontal surface if it is easier to shift attention within a frontal surface. On the other hand, previous research has shown that ground surfaces have a special role in organizing the 3-D layout of objects shown against scene backgrounds. In the current study, we examined whether a frontal background or a ground surface background would result in superior change detection performance using a change detection flicker paradigm. In the first experiment, we considered whether background slant affects change detection performance. In Experiment 2, we examined the effect of height in the image on change detection performance. In Experiment 3, we examined change detection performance on slanted ceiling surfaces. The results of these experiments indicate that change detection is more efficient on near-ground planes than on surfaces at intermediate slants or ceiling surfaces. This suggests that any superiority of frontal plane backgrounds in a change detection task may be equivalent to the superiority of a near-ground plane in organizing a scene, with the lowest level of performance occurring for surfaces that are not frontal but further from a ground surface orientation

Automatic 3-D Optical Detection on Orientation of Randomly Oriented Industrial Parts for Rapid Robotic Manipulation

This paper proposes a novel method employing a developed 3-D optical imaging and processing algorithm for accurate classification of an object’s surface characteristics in robot pick and place manipulation. In the method, 3-D geometry of industrial parts can be rapidly acquired by the developed one-shot imaging optical probe based on Fourier Transform Profilometry (FTP) by using digital-fringe projection at a camera’s maximum sensing speed. Following this, the acquired range image can be effectively segmented into three surface types by classifying point clouds based on the statistical distribution of the normal surface vector of each detected 3-D point, and then the scene ground is reconstructed by applying least squares fitting and classification algorithms. Also, a recursive search process incorporating the region-growing algorithm for registering homogeneous surface regions has been developed. When the detected parts are randomly overlapped on a workbench, a group of defined 3-D surface features, such as surface areas, statistical values of the surface normal distribution and geometric distances of defined features, can be uniquely recognized for detection of the part’s orientation. Experimental testing was performed to validate the feasibility of the developed method for real robotic manipulation.<br /

Automatic colonic polyp detection using curvature analysis for standard and low dose CT data

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in the developed nations. Early detection and removal of colorectal polyps via screening is the most effective way to reduce colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality. Computed Tomography Colonography (CTC) or Virtual Colonoscopy (VC) is a rapidly evolving non-invasive technique and the medical community view this medical procedure as an alternative to the standard colonoscopy for the detection of colonic polyps. In CTC the first step for automatic polyp detection for 3D visualization of the colon structure and automatic polyp detection addresses the segmentation of the colon lumen. The segmentation of colon lumen is far from a trivial task as in practice many datasets are collapsed due to incorrect patient preparation or blockages caused by residual water/materials left in the colon. In this thesis a robust multi-stage technique for automatic segmentation of the colon is proposed tha t maximally uses the anatomical model of a generic colon. In this regard, the colon is reconstructed using volume by length analysis, orientation, length, end points, geometrical position in the volumetric data, and gradient of the centreline of each candidate air region detected in the CT data. The proposed method was validated using a total of 151 standard dose (lOOmAs) and 13 low-dose (13mAs-40mAs) datasets and the collapsed colon surface detection was always higher than 95% with an average of 1.58% extra colonic surface inclusion. The second major step of automated CTC attempts the identification of colorectal polyps. In this thesis a robust method for polyp detection based on surface curvature analysis has been developed and evaluated. The convexity of the segmented colon surface is sampled using the surface normal intersection, Hough transform, 3D histogram, Gaussian distribution, convexity constraint and 3D region growing. For each polyp candidate surface the morphological and statistical features are extracted and the candidate surface is classified as a polyp/fold structure using a Feature Normalized Nearest Neighbourhood classifier. The devised polyp detection scheme entails a low computational overhead (typically takes 3.60 minute per dataset) and shows 100% sensitivity for polyps larger than 10mm, 92% sensitivity for polyps in the range 5 to 10mm and 64.28% sensitivity for polyp smaller than 5mm. The developed technique returns in average 4.01 false positives per dataset. The patient exposure to ionising radiation is the major concern in using CTC as a mass screening technique for colonic polyp detection. A reduction of the radiation dose will increase the level of noise during the acquisition process and as a result the quality of the CT d a ta is degraded. To fully investigate the effect of the low-dose radiation on the performance of automated polyp detection, a phantom has been developed and scanned using different radiation doses. The phantom polyps have realistic shapes (sessile, pedunculated, and flat) and sizes (3 to 20mm) and were designed to closely approximate the real polyps encountered in clinical CT data. Automatic polyp detection shows 100% sensitivity for polyps larger than 10mm and shows 95% sensitivity for polyps in the range 5 to 10mm. The developed method was applied to CT data acquired at radiation doses between 13 to 40mAs and the experimental results indicate th a t robust polyp detection can be obtained even at radiation doses as low as 13mAs

Integrated sensors for robotic laser welding

A welding head is under development with integrated sensory systems for robotic laser welding applications. Robotic laser welding requires sensory systems that are capable to accurately guide the welding head over a seam in three-dimensional space and provide information about the welding process as well as the quality of the welding result. In this paper the focus is on seam tracking. It is difficult to measure three-dimensional parameters of a ream during a robotic laser welding task, especially when sharp corners are present. The proposed sensory system is capable to provide the three dimensional parameters of a seam in one measurement and guide robots over sharp corners

Ego-motion and Surrounding Vehicle State Estimation Using a Monocular Camera

Understanding ego-motion and surrounding vehicle state is essential to enable automated driving and advanced driving assistance technologies. Typical approaches to solve this problem use fusion of multiple sensors such as LiDAR, camera, and radar to recognize surrounding vehicle state, including position, velocity, and orientation. Such sensing modalities are overly complex and costly for production of personal use vehicles. In this paper, we propose a novel machine learning method to estimate ego-motion and surrounding vehicle state using a single monocular camera. Our approach is based on a combination of three deep neural networks to estimate the 3D vehicle bounding box, depth, and optical flow from a sequence of images. The main contribution of this paper is a new framework and algorithm that integrates these three networks in order to estimate the ego-motion and surrounding vehicle state. To realize more accurate 3D position estimation, we address ground plane correction in real-time. The efficacy of the proposed method is demonstrated through experimental evaluations that compare our results to ground truth data available from other sensors including Can-Bus and LiDAR

Establishing the behavioural limits for countershaded camouflage

Countershading is a ubiquitous patterning of animals whereby the side that typically faces the highest illumination is darker. When tuned to specific lighting conditions and body orientation with respect to the light field, countershading minimizes the gradient of light the body reflects by counterbalancing shadowing due to illumination, and has therefore classically been thought of as an adaptation for visual camouflage. However, whether and how crypsis degrades when body orientation with respect to the light field is non-optimal has never been studied. We tested the behavioural limits on body orientation for countershading to deliver effective visual camouflage. We asked human participants to detect a countershaded target in a simulated three-dimensional environment. The target was optimally coloured for crypsis in a reference orientation and was displayed at different orientations. Search performance dramatically improved for deviations beyond 15 degrees. Detection time was significantly shorter and accuracy significantly higher than when the target orientation matched the countershading pattern. This work demonstrates the importance of maintaining body orientation appropriate for the displayed camouflage pattern, suggesting a possible selective pressure for animals to orient themselves appropriately to enhance crypsis