644 research outputs found
Low-level Vision by Consensus in a Spatial Hierarchy of Regions
We introduce a multi-scale framework for low-level vision, where the goal is
estimating physical scene values from image data---such as depth from stereo
image pairs. The framework uses a dense, overlapping set of image regions at
multiple scales and a "local model," such as a slanted-plane model for stereo
disparity, that is expected to be valid piecewise across the visual field.
Estimation is cast as optimization over a dichotomous mixture of variables,
simultaneously determining which regions are inliers with respect to the local
model (binary variables) and the correct co-ordinates in the local model space
for each inlying region (continuous variables). When the regions are organized
into a multi-scale hierarchy, optimization can occur in an efficient and
parallel architecture, where distributed computational units iteratively
perform calculations and share information through sparse connections between
parents and children. The framework performs well on a standard benchmark for
binocular stereo, and it produces a distributional scene representation that is
appropriate for combining with higher-level reasoning and other low-level cues.Comment: Accepted to CVPR 2015. Project page:
http://www.ttic.edu/chakrabarti/consensus
Backwards is the way forward: feedback in the cortical hierarchy predicts the expected future
Clark offers a powerful description of the brain as a prediction machine, which offers progress on two distinct levels. First, on an abstract conceptual level, it provides a unifying framework for perception, action, and cognition (including subdivisions such as attention, expectation, and imagination). Second, hierarchical prediction offers progress on a concrete descriptive level for testing and constraining conceptual elements and mechanisms of predictive coding models (estimation of predictions, prediction errors, and internal models)
Event-based Vision: A Survey
Event cameras are bio-inspired sensors that differ from conventional frame
cameras: Instead of capturing images at a fixed rate, they asynchronously
measure per-pixel brightness changes, and output a stream of events that encode
the time, location and sign of the brightness changes. Event cameras offer
attractive properties compared to traditional cameras: high temporal resolution
(in the order of microseconds), very high dynamic range (140 dB vs. 60 dB), low
power consumption, and high pixel bandwidth (on the order of kHz) resulting in
reduced motion blur. Hence, event cameras have a large potential for robotics
and computer vision in challenging scenarios for traditional cameras, such as
low-latency, high speed, and high dynamic range. However, novel methods are
required to process the unconventional output of these sensors in order to
unlock their potential. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the
emerging field of event-based vision, with a focus on the applications and the
algorithms developed to unlock the outstanding properties of event cameras. We
present event cameras from their working principle, the actual sensors that are
available and the tasks that they have been used for, from low-level vision
(feature detection and tracking, optic flow, etc.) to high-level vision
(reconstruction, segmentation, recognition). We also discuss the techniques
developed to process events, including learning-based techniques, as well as
specialized processors for these novel sensors, such as spiking neural
networks. Additionally, we highlight the challenges that remain to be tackled
and the opportunities that lie ahead in the search for a more efficient,
bio-inspired way for machines to perceive and interact with the world
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