Quick and energy-efficient Bayesian computing of binocular disparity using stochastic digital signals

Reconstruction of the tridimensional geometry of a visual scene using the binocular disparity information is an important issue in computer vision and mobile robotics, which can be formulated as a Bayesian inference problem. However, computation of the full disparity distribution with an advanced Bayesian model is usually an intractable problem, and proves computationally challenging even with a simple model. In this paper, we show how probabilistic hardware using distributed memory and alternate representation of data as stochastic bitstreams can solve that problem with high performance and energy efficiency. We put forward a way to express discrete probability distributions using stochastic data representations and perform Bayesian fusion using those representations, and show how that approach can be applied to diparity computation. We evaluate the system using a simulated stochastic implementation and discuss possible hardware implementations of such architectures and their potential for sensorimotor processing and robotics.Comment: Preprint of article submitted for publication in International Journal of Approximate Reasoning and accepted pending minor revision

Visualization of uncertain scalar data fields using color scales and perceptually adapted noise

Session: VisualizationInternational audienceWe present a new method to visualize uncertain scalar data fields by combining color scale visualization techniques with animated, perceptually adapted Perlin noise. The parameters of the Perlin noise are controlled by the uncertainty information to produce animated patterns showing local data value and quality. In order to precisely control the perception of the noise patterns, we perform a psychophysical evaluation of contrast sensitivity thresholds for a set of Perlin noise stimuli. We validate and extend this evaluation using an existing computational model. This allows us to predict the perception of the uncertainty noise patterns for arbitrary choices of parameters. We demonstrate and discuss the efficiency and the benefits of our method with various settings, color maps and data sets

Visualisation interactive de grands volumes de données incertaines (pour une approche perceptive)

Les études scientifiques et d'ingénierie actuelles font de plus en plus souvent appel à des techniques de simulation numérique pour étudier des phénomènes physiques complexes. La visualisation du résultat de ces simulations sur leur support spatial, souvent nécessaire à leur bonne compréhension, demande la mise en place d'outils adaptés, permettant une restitution fidèle et complète de l'information présente dans un jeu de données. Une telle visualisation doit donc prendre en compte les informations disponibles sur la qualité du jeu de données et l'incertitude présente. Cette thèse a pour but d'améliorer les méthodes de visualisation des champs de données scalaires de façon à intégrer une telle information d'incertitude. Les travaux présentés adoptent une approche perceptive, et utilisent les méthodes expérimentales et les connaissances préalables obtenues par la recherche sur la perception visuelle pour proposer, étudier et finalement mettre en oeuvre des nouvelles techniques de visualisation. Une revue de l'état de l'art sur la visualisation de données incertaines nous fait envisager l'utilisation d'un bruit procédural animé comme primitive pour la représentation de l'incertitude. Une expérience de psychophysique nous permet d'évaluer des seuils de sensibilité au contraste pour des stimuli de luminance générés par l'algorithme de bruit de Perlin, et de déterminer ainsi dans quelles conditions ces stimuli seront perçus. Ces résultats sont validés et étendus par l'utilisation d'un modèle computationnel de sensibilité au contraste, que nous avons réimplémenté et exécuté sur nos stimuli. Les informations obtenues nous permettent de proposer une technique de visualisation des données scalaires incertaines utilisant un bruit procédural animé et des échelles de couleur, intuitive et efficace même sur des géométries tridimensionnelles complexes. Cette technique est appliquée à deux jeux de données industriels, et présentée à des utilisateurs experts. Les commentaires de ces utilisateurs confirment l'efficacité et l'intérêt de notre technique et nous permettent de lui apporter quelques améliorations, ainsi que d'envisager des axes de recherche pour des travaux futurs.Current scientific and engineering works make an increasingly frequent use of numerical simulation techniques to study complex physical phenomenons. Visualizing these simulations' results on their geometric structure is often necessary in order to understand and analyze the simulated system. Such a visualization requires specific software tools in order to achieve a comprehensive and accurate depiction of the information present in the dataset. This includes taking into account the available information about dataset quality and data uncertainty. The goal of this thesis is to improve the visualization techniques for scalar data fields in order to integrate uncertainty information to the result. Our work follows a perceptual approach, using knowledge and experimental methods from visual perception research to put forward, study and implement new visualization techniques. A review of the state of the art on uncertainty visualization make us suggest to use an animated procedural noise as a visual primitive to show uncertainty. We set up a psychophysics experiment to evaluate contrast sensitivity thresholds for luminance stimuli generated using Perlin's noise algorithm, and therefore understand under which conditions such noise patterns can be perceived. These results are validated and extended by using a computational model of contrast sensitiviy, which we reimplemented and ran on our stimuli. The resulting information allow us to put forward a new technique for visualizing uncertain scalar data using an animated procedural noise and color maps. The resulting visualization is intuitive and efficient even for datasets with a complex tridimensional geometry. We apply this new technique to two industrial datasets, and demonstrate it to expert users. Their feedback uphold the usabiliy and efficiency of our technique, and allows us to add a few more improvements and to orient our future work.SAVOIE-SCD - Bib.électronique (730659901) / SudocGRENOBLE1/INP-Bib.électronique (384210012) / SudocGRENOBLE2/3-Bib.électronique (384219901) / SudocSudocFranceF

Bayesian Sensor Fusion with Fast and Low Power Stochastic Circuits

International audience—As the physical limits of Moore's law are being reached, a research effort is launched to achieve further performance improvements by exploring computation paradigms departing from standard approaches. The BAMBI project (Bottom-up Approaches to Machines dedicated to Bayesian Inference) aims at developing hardware dedicated to probabilistic computation , which extends logic computation realised by boolean gates in current computer chips. Such probabilistic computing devices would allow to solve faster and at a lower energy cost a wide range of Artificial Intelligence applications, especially when decisions need to be taken from incomplete data in an uncertain environment. This paper describes an architecture where very simple operators compute on a time coding of probability values as stochastic signals. Simulation tests and a reconfigurable logic hardware implementation demonstrated the feasibility and performances of the proposed inference machine. Hardware results show this architecture can quickly solve Bayesian sensor fusion problems and is very efficient in terms of energy consumption