An interest point based illumination condition matching approach to photometric registration within augmented reality worlds

With recent and continued increases in computing power, and advances in the field of computer graphics, realistic augmented reality environments can now offer inexpensive and powerful solutions in a whole range of training, simulation and leisure applications. One key challenge to maintaining convincing augmentation, and therefore user immersion, is ensuring consistent illumination conditions between virtual and real environments, so that objects appear to be lit by the same light sources. This research demonstrates how real world lighting conditions can be determined from the two-dimensional view of the user. Virtual objects can then be illuminated and virtual shadows cast using these conditions. This new technique uses pairs of interest points from real objects and the shadows that they cast, viewed from a binocular perspective, to determine the position of the illuminant. This research has been initially focused on single point light sources in order to show the potential of the technique and has investigated the relationships between the many parameters of the vision system. Optimal conditions have been discovered by mapping the results of experimentally varying parameters such as FoV, camera angle and pose, image resolution, aspect ratio and illuminant distance. The technique is able to provide increased robustness where greater resolution imagery is used. Under optimal conditions it is possible to derive the position of a real world light source with low average error. An investigation of available literature has revealed that other techniques can be inflexible, slow, or disrupt scene realism. This technique is able to locate and track a moving illuminant within an unconstrained, dynamic world without the use of artificial calibration objects that would disrupt scene realism. The technique operates in real-time as the new algorithms are of low computational complexity. This allows high framerates to be maintained within augmented reality applications. Illuminant updates occur several times a second on an average to high end desktop computer. Future work will investigate the automatic identification and selection of pairs of interest points and the exploration of global illuminant conditions. The latter will include an analysis of more complex scenes and the consideration of multiple and varied light sources.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Spatial Displays and Spatial Instruments

The conference proceedings topics are divided into two main areas: (1) issues of spatial and picture perception raised by graphical electronic displays of spatial information; and (2) design questions raised by the practical experience of designers actually defining new spatial instruments for use in new aircraft and spacecraft. Each topic is considered from both a theoretical and an applied direction. Emphasis is placed on discussion of phenomena and determination of design principles

Fusion of Interferometric SAR and Photogrammetric Elevation Data

Neurology & clinical neurophysiolog

Social perception in the real world : employing visual adaptation paradigms in the investigation of mechanisms underlying emotion and trustworthiness perception

Social context can substantially influence our perception and understanding of emotion and action of observed individuals. However, less is known about how temporal context can affect our judgement of behaviour of other people. The aim of this thesis was to explore how immediate perceptual history influences social perception. Further aims were: (i) to examine whether prior visual experience influences the perception of behaviour of other individuals in a naturalistic virtual environment resembling the real world; (ii) to determine whether our judgement of emotional state or trustworthiness of observed individuals is influenced by perceptual history, and (iii) by cognitive processes such as mental state attribution to the observer; (iv) to investigate whether processing of emotion information from dynamic, whole-body action is dependent on the processing of body identity, and (v) dependent on the body part that conveys it. Here, visual adaptation paradigms were used to examine systematic biases in social perception following prior visual experience, and to infer potential neural mechanisms underlying social perception. The results presented in this thesis suggest that perception and understanding of behaviour of other individuals in the naturalistic virtual environment are influenced by the behaviour of other individuals within the shared social environment. Specifically, in Chapter 3, I presented data suggesting that visual adaptation mechanisms examined thus far in laboratory settings may influence our everyday perception and judgement of behaviour of other people. In Chapters 4 and 5, I showed that these biases in social perception can be attributed to visual adaptation mechanisms, which code emotions and intentions derived from actions with respect to specific action kinematics and the body part that conveyed the given emotion. The results of experiments presented in Chapter 4 demonstrated that emotions conveyed by actions are represented with respect to, and independently of, actors’ identity. These finding suggest that the mechanisms underlying processing of action emotion may operate in parallel with the mechanisms underlying processing emotion from other social signals such as face and voice. In Chapter 6, I showed that cognitive processes underlying Theory of Mind, such as mental state attribution, can also influence perceptual processing of emotional signals. Finally, results presented in Chapter 7 suggest that judgments of complex social traits such as trustworthiness derived from faces are also influenced by perceptual history. These results also yielded strong sex differences in assessing trustworthiness of an observed individual; female observers showed a strong bias in perception resulting from adaptation to (un)trustworthiness, while male observers were less influenced by prior visual context. Together these findings suggest that social perception in the real world may be sensitive not only to the social context in which an observed act is embedded, but also to the prior visual context and the observer’s beliefs regarding the observed individual. Visual adaptation mechanisms may therefore operate during our everyday perception, in order to adjust our visual system to allow for efficient and accurate judgement of socially meaningful stimuli. The findings presented in this thesis highlight the importance of studying social perception using naturalistic stimuli embedded in a meaningful social scene, in order to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie our judgement of behaviour of other people. They also demonstrate the utility of visual adaptation paradigms in studying social perception and social cognition

A continuum robotic platform for endoscopic non-contact laser surgery: design, control, and preclinical evaluation

The application of laser technologies in surgical interventions has been accepted in the clinical domain due to their atraumatic properties. In addition to manual application of fibre-guided lasers with tissue contact, non-contact transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) of laryngeal tumours has been prevailed in ENT surgery. However, TLM requires many years of surgical training for tumour resection in order to preserve the function of adjacent organs and thus preserve the patient’s quality of life. The positioning of the microscopic laser applicator outside the patient can also impede a direct line-of-sight to the target area due to anatomical variability and limit the working space. Further clinical challenges include positioning the laser focus on the tissue surface, imaging, planning and performing laser ablation, and motion of the target area during surgery. This dissertation aims to address the limitations of TLM through robotic approaches and intraoperative assistance. Although a trend towards minimally invasive surgery is apparent, no highly integrated platform for endoscopic delivery of focused laser radiation is available to date. Likewise, there are no known devices that incorporate scene information from endoscopic imaging into ablation planning and execution. For focusing of the laser beam close to the target tissue, this work first presents miniaturised focusing optics that can be integrated into endoscopic systems. Experimental trials characterise the optical properties and the ablation performance. A robotic platform is realised for manipulation of the focusing optics. This is based on a variable-length continuum manipulator. The latter enables movements of the endoscopic end effector in five degrees of freedom with a mechatronic actuation unit. The kinematic modelling and control of the robot are integrated into a modular framework that is evaluated experimentally. The manipulation of focused laser radiation also requires precise adjustment of the focal position on the tissue. For this purpose, visual, haptic and visual-haptic assistance functions are presented. These support the operator during teleoperation to set an optimal working distance. Advantages of visual-haptic assistance are demonstrated in a user study. The system performance and usability of the overall robotic system are assessed in an additional user study. Analogous to a clinical scenario, the subjects follow predefined target patterns with a laser spot. The mean positioning accuracy of the spot is 0.5 mm. Finally, methods of image-guided robot control are introduced to automate laser ablation. Experiments confirm a positive effect of proposed automation concepts on non-contact laser surgery.Die Anwendung von Lasertechnologien in chirurgischen Interventionen hat sich aufgrund der atraumatischen Eigenschaften in der Klinik etabliert. Neben manueller Applikation von fasergeführten Lasern mit Gewebekontakt hat sich die kontaktfreie transorale Lasermikrochirurgie (TLM) von Tumoren des Larynx in der HNO-Chirurgie durchgesetzt. Die TLM erfordert zur Tumorresektion jedoch ein langjähriges chirurgisches Training, um die Funktion der angrenzenden Organe zu sichern und damit die Lebensqualität der Patienten zu erhalten. Die Positionierung des mikroskopis chen Laserapplikators außerhalb des Patienten kann zudem die direkte Sicht auf das Zielgebiet durch anatomische Variabilität erschweren und den Arbeitsraum einschränken. Weitere klinische Herausforderungen betreffen die Positionierung des Laserfokus auf der Gewebeoberfläche, die Bildgebung, die Planung und Ausführung der Laserablation sowie intraoperative Bewegungen des Zielgebietes. Die vorliegende Dissertation zielt darauf ab, die Limitierungen der TLM durch robotische Ansätze und intraoperative Assistenz zu adressieren. Obwohl ein Trend zur minimal invasiven Chirurgie besteht, sind bislang keine hochintegrierten Plattformen für die endoskopische Applikation fokussierter Laserstrahlung verfügbar. Ebenfalls sind keine Systeme bekannt, die Szeneninformationen aus der endoskopischen Bildgebung in die Ablationsplanung und -ausführung einbeziehen. Für eine situsnahe Fokussierung des Laserstrahls wird in dieser Arbeit zunächst eine miniaturisierte Fokussieroptik zur Integration in endoskopische Systeme vorgestellt. Experimentelle Versuche charakterisieren die optischen Eigenschaften und das Ablationsverhalten. Zur Manipulation der Fokussieroptik wird eine robotische Plattform realisiert. Diese basiert auf einem längenveränderlichen Kontinuumsmanipulator. Letzterer ermöglicht in Kombination mit einer mechatronischen Aktuierungseinheit Bewegungen des Endoskopkopfes in fünf Freiheitsgraden. Die kinematische Modellierung und Regelung des Systems werden in ein modulares Framework eingebunden und evaluiert. Die Manipulation fokussierter Laserstrahlung erfordert zudem eine präzise Anpassung der Fokuslage auf das Gewebe. Dafür werden visuelle, haptische und visuell haptische Assistenzfunktionen eingeführt. Diese unterstützen den Anwender bei Teleoperation zur Einstellung eines optimalen Arbeitsabstandes. In einer Anwenderstudie werden Vorteile der visuell-haptischen Assistenz nachgewiesen. Die Systemperformanz und Gebrauchstauglichkeit des robotischen Gesamtsystems werden in einer weiteren Anwenderstudie untersucht. Analog zu einem klinischen Einsatz verfolgen die Probanden mit einem Laserspot vorgegebene Sollpfade. Die mittlere Positioniergenauigkeit des Spots beträgt dabei 0,5 mm. Zur Automatisierung der Ablation werden abschließend Methoden der bildgestützten Regelung vorgestellt. Experimente bestätigen einen positiven Effekt der Automationskonzepte für die kontaktfreie Laserchirurgie

A user experience‐based toolset for automotive human‐machine interface technology development

The development of new automotive Human-Machine Interface (HMI) technologies must consider the competing and often conflicting demands of commercial value, User Experience (UX) and safety. Technology innovation offers manufacturers the opportunity to gain commercial advantage in a competitive and crowded marketplace, leading to an increase in the features and functionality available to the driver. User response to technology influences the perception of the brand as a whole, so it is important that in-vehicle systems provide a high-quality user experience. However, introducing new technologies into the car can also increase accident risk. The demands of usability and UX must therefore be balanced against the requirement for driver safety. Adopting a technology-focused business strategy carries a degree of risk, as most innovations fail before they reach the market. Obtaining clear and relevant information on the UX and safety of new technologies early in their development can help to inform and support robust product development (PD) decision making, improving product outcomes. In order to achieve this, manufacturers need processes and tools to evaluate new technologies, providing customer-focused data to drive development. This work details the development of an Evaluation Toolset for automotive HMI technologies encompassing safety-related functional metrics and UX measures. The Toolset consists of four elements: an evaluation protocol, based on methods identified from the Human Factors, UX and Sensory Science literature; a fixed-base driving simulator providing a context-rich, configurable evaluation environment, supporting both hardware and software-based technologies; a standardised simulation scenario providing a repeatable basis for technology evaluations, allowing comparisons across multiple technologies and studies; and a technology scorecard that collates and presents evaluation data to support PD decision making processes

The experimental flowfield and thermal measurements in an experimental can-type gas turbine combustor

In this study, experimental data was collected in order to create a test case that can be used to validate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and the individual models used therein for gas turbine combustor applications. In many cases, the CFD results of gas turbine combustors do not correlate well with experimental results. For this reason, there is a requirement to test the simulation method used before CFD can successfully be used for combustor design. This test case encompasses all the features of a gas turbine combustor such as a swirler, primary, secondary and dilution holes as well as cooling rings. Experiments were performed on the same combustor geometry for both non-reacting and reacting flows. The non-reacting flow experiments consisted of stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements performed at various planes in the three zones of the combustor. Data was collected on planes, both in line with the holes and in between the holes of each zone. For the reacting experiments, the temperatures on the outlet plane were measured using a thermocouple rake, thus a temperature contour plot on the outlet plane was produced. Further, the combustor can was modified with passive inserts, which were tested to determine their influence on the outlet temperature distribution during reacting runs. In this set-up, the outlet velocity profiles were also measured using a Pitot tube during both non-reacting and reacting flows. In addition to the outlet temperature distribution and velocity profiles, images of the flame patterns were captured, which showed the positions of flame tongues, fluctuating flames and steady flames. Carbon burn patterns on the walls of the combustor liner were also captured. From the data collected during the reacting runs, the pattern factor, profile factor, overall pressure loss and pressure loss factor were calculated. The non-reacting experiments performed using the PIV, produced three-dimensional velocity vector fields throughout the combustor. These experiments were performed at various flow rates, which gave an indication of which features of the combustor flow were affected by the flow rate. When comparing the individual PIV images alongside one another, the temporal nature of the combustor flow was also evident. The reacting experiments revealed a hot region of exhaust gas around the outer edge of the exhaust while there was a cooler region in the centre of the outlet flow. The PIV flowfield results revealed the reason for then hot outer ring-like region was due to the path the hot gasses would take. The hot combustor gas from the primary zone diverges outwards in the secondary zone then is further forced to the outside by the dilution recirculation zone. The hot flow then leaves the combustor along the wall while the cooler air from the jets leaves the combustor in the centre. The experiments performed produced a large variety of data that can be used to validate a number of aspects of combustor simulation using CFD. The non-reacting experimental data can be used to validate the turbulence models used and to evaluate how well the flow features were modelled or captured during the non-reacting stage of the combustor simulation process. The typical flow features such as jet penetration depths and the position and size of the recirculation regions are provided for effective comparison. The thermal results presented on the outlet plane of the combustor can be used for comparison with CFD results once combustion is modelled. CopyrightDissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2010.Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineeringunrestricte