Detection and Identification Techniques for Markers Used in Computer Vision

This paper summarizes and compares techniques for detecting and identifying markers in the context of computer vision. Existing approaches either use correlation, digital or topological methods for marker identification. The comparison points out, that all marker processing algorithms which employ sophisticated digital codes perform more robust and reliable. Existing bit representation schemes for these codes and marker designs are compared with each other. In the overall context it is illustrated, why the marker processing algorithm is the best performer regarding marker occlusion and minimal detectable pattern size

Markerless Camera Pose Estimation - An Overview

As shown by the human perception, a correct interpretation of a 3D scene on the basis of a 2D image is possible without markers. Solely by identifying natural features of different objects, their locations and orientations on the image can be identified. This allows a three dimensional interpretation of a two dimensional pictured scene. The key aspect for this interpretation is the correct estimation of the camera pose, i.e. the knowledge of the orientation and location a picture was recorded. This paper is intended to provide an overview of the usual camera pose estimation pipeline as well as to present and discuss the several classes of pose estimation algorithms

Комп’ютерна система реєстрації та аналізу біоелектричних сигналів

We present a new method for matching a region between an input and a query image, based on the P-channel representation of pixel-based image features such as grayscale and color information, local gradient orientation and local spatial coordinates. We introduce the concept of integral P-channels, which conciliates the concepts of P-channel and integral images. Using integral images, the P-channel representation of a given region is extracted with a few arithmetic operations. This enables a fast nearest-neighbor search in all possible target regions. We present extensive experimental results and show that our approach compares favorably to existing methods for region matching such as histograms or region covariance.DIPLEC

In-Situ Visualization for Cultural Heritage Sites using Novel Augmented Reality Technologies

[ES] Mobile Augmented Reality is an ideal technology for presenting information in an attractive, comprehensive and personalized way to visitors of cultural heritage sites. One of the pioneer projects in this area was certainly the European project ArcheoGuide (IST-1999-11306) which developed and evaluated Augmented Reality (AR) at a very early stage. Many progresses have been done since then, and novel devices and algorithms offer novel possibilities and functionalities. In this paper we present current research work and discuss different approaches of Mobile AR for cultural heritage. Since this area is very large we focus on the visual aspects of such technologies, namely tracking and computer vision, as well as visualization.The work discussed in this article was supported by the European Union IST framework (IST 1999-11306) project ArcheoGuide and is continued in the current project iTACITUS (IST 2.5.10 – 034520).Stricker, D.; Pagani, A.; Zoellner, M. (2010). In-Situ Visualization for Cultural Heritage Sites using Novel Augmented Reality Technologies. Virtual Archaeology Review. 1(2):37-41. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2010.4682OJS374112LEPETIT V., LAGGER P., FUA P.: Randomized trees for real-time keypoint recognition. Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition 2 (2005), 775-781. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/cvpr.2005.288VLAHAKIS, Vassilios; IOaNNIDIS, Nikos; KARIGIANNIS, John; TSOTROS, Manolis; GOUNARIS, Michael; STRICKER, Didier;GLEUE, Tim; DAEHNE, Patrick; ALMEIDA, Luis Archeoguide: Challenges and Solutions of a Personalized Augmented Reality Guide for archaeological sites IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications 22 (2002), 5, pp. 52-60STRICKER, Didier Tracking with Reference Images: A Real-Time and Markerless Tracking Solution for Out-Door Augmented Reality Applications International Symposium on Virtual Reality, Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (VAST), Glyfada, Greece, 2001, pp. 91-96.ZOELLNER, Michael, PAGANI Alain, STRICKER, Didier: "Reality filtering: A visual time machine in augmented reality", in VAST 2008. Proceedings (December).ITACITUS, 2008. "Intelligent tourism and cultural information through ubiquitous services." http://www.itacitus.org.FISCHER, J. 2005. Stylized augmented reality for improved immersion. Proceedings of IEEE Virtual Reality, 195-202. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/vr.2005.1492774http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/vr.2005.7

Structure PLP-SLAM: Efficient Sparse Mapping and Localization using Point, Line and Plane for Monocular, RGB-D and Stereo Cameras

This paper demonstrates a visual SLAM system that utilizes point and line cloud for robust camera localization, simultaneously, with an embedded piece-wise planar reconstruction (PPR) module which in all provides a structural map. To build a scale consistent map in parallel with tracking, such as employing a single camera brings the challenge of reconstructing geometric primitives with scale ambiguity, and further introduces the difficulty in graph optimization of bundle adjustment (BA). We address these problems by proposing several run-time optimizations on the reconstructed lines and planes. The system is then extended with depth and stereo sensors based on the design of the monocular framework. The results show that our proposed SLAM tightly incorporates the semantic features to boost both frontend tracking as well as backend optimization. We evaluate our system exhaustively on various datasets, and open-source our code for the community (https://github.com/PeterFWS/Structure-PLP-SLAM).Comment: The pre-print version, v2 add supplementary materials, code open-source: https://github.com/PeterFWS/Structure-PLP-SLA

IMPROVE: Advanced displays and interaction techniques for collaborative design review

In this paper we present evaluation results of an innovative application designed to make collaborative design review in the architectural and automotive domain more effective. Within IMPROVE, a European research project in the area of advanced displays, we are combining high resolution multi-tile displays, TabletPCs and head-mounted displays with innovative 2D and 3D Interaction Paradigms to better support collaborative mobile mixed reality design reviews. Our research and development is motivated by application scenarios in the automotive domain involving FIAT Elasis from Naples, Italy and in the architectural domain involving Page/Park architects from Glasgow, Scotland. User evaluation took place at Glasgow (UK), Naples (ITA) and Darmstadt (GER), where we tested the integrated IMPROVE prototype application. The tests were conducted based on several heuristics such as ergonomics and psychomotorial factors and they were conducted based on guidelines recommended by ISO 9241 to verify whether the developed interfaces were suitable for the applications scenarios. Evaluation results show that there is a strong demand for more interactive design review systems, allowing users greater flexibility and greater choice of input and visualization modalities as well as their combination

IMPROVE: collaborative design review in mobile mixed reality

In this paper we introduce an innovative application designed to make collaborative design review in the architectural and automotive domain more effective. For this purpose we present a system architecture which combines variety of visualization displays such as high resolution multi-tile displays, TabletPCs and head-mounted displays with innovative 2D and 3D Interaction Paradigms to better support collaborative mobile mixed reality design reviews. Our research and development is motivated by two use scenarios: automotive and architectural design review involving real users from Page\Park architects and FIAT Elasis. Our activities are supported by the EU IST project IMPROVE aimed at developing advanced display techniques, fostering activities in the areas of: optical see-through HMD development using unique OLED technology, marker-less optical tracking, mixed reality rendering, image calibration for large tiled displays, collaborative tablet-based and projection wall oriented interaction and stereoscopic video streaming for mobile users. The paper gives an overview of the hardware and software developments within IMPROVE and concludes with results from first user tests

The Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery : defining a model for antimicrobial stewardship-results from an international cross-sectional survey

Background: Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs) have been promoted to optimize antimicrobial usage and patient outcomes, and to reduce the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant organisms. However, the best strategies for an ASP are not definitively established and are likely to vary based on local culture, policy, and routine clinical practice, and probably limited resources in middle-income countries. The aim of this study is to evaluate structures and resources of antimicrobial stewardship teams (ASTs) in surgical departments from different regions of the world. Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted in 2016 on 173 physicians who participated in the AGORA (Antimicrobials: A Global Alliance for Optimizing their Rational Use in Intra-Abdominal Infections) project and on 658 international experts in the fields of ASPs, infection control, and infections in surgery. Results: The response rate was 19.4%. One hundred fifty-six (98.7%) participants stated their hospital had a multidisciplinary AST. The median number of physicians working inside the team was five [interquartile range 4-6]. An infectious disease specialist, a microbiologist and an infection control specialist were, respectively, present in 80.1, 76.3, and 67.9% of the ASTs. A surgeon was a component in 59.0% of cases and was significantly more likely to be present in university hospitals (89.5%, p <0.05) compared to community teaching (83.3%) and community hospitals (66.7%). Protocols for pre-operative prophylaxis and for antimicrobial treatment of surgical infections were respectively implemented in 96.2 and 82.3% of the hospitals. The majority of the surgical departments implemented both persuasive and restrictive interventions (72.8%). The most common types of interventions in surgical departments were dissemination of educational materials (62.5%), expert approval (61.0%), audit and feedback (55.1%), educational outreach (53.7%), and compulsory order forms (51.5%). Conclusion: The survey showed a heterogeneous organization of ASPs worldwide, demonstrating the necessity of a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach in the battle against antimicrobial resistance in surgical infections, and the importance of educational efforts towards this goal.Peer reviewe

Diversity and ethics in trauma and acute care surgery teams: results from an international survey

Background Investigating the context of trauma and acute care surgery, the article aims at understanding the factors that can enhance some ethical aspects, namely the importance of patient consent, the perceptiveness of the ethical role of the trauma leader, and the perceived importance of ethics as an educational subject. Methods The article employs an international questionnaire promoted by the World Society of Emergency Surgery. Results Through the analysis of 402 fully filled questionnaires by surgeons from 72 different countries, the three main ethical topics are investigated through the lens of gender, membership of an academic or non-academic institution, an official trauma team, and a diverse group. In general terms, results highlight greater attention paid by surgeons belonging to academic institutions, official trauma teams, and diverse groups. Conclusions Our results underline that some organizational factors (e.g., the fact that the team belongs to a university context or is more diverse) might lead to the development of a higher sensibility on ethical matters. Embracing cultural diversity forces trauma teams to deal with different mindsets. Organizations should, therefore, consider those elements in defining their organizational procedures. Level of evidence Trauma and acute care teams work under tremendous pressure and complex circumstances, with their members needing to make ethical decisions quickly. The international survey allowed to shed light on how team assembly decisions might represent an opportunity to coordinate team member actions and increase performance