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VISION-LIST Digest Volume 12 Issue 33
VISION-LIST Digest Mon Jul 26 14:41:57 PDT 93 Volume 12 : Issue 33
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Today's Topics:
Announcing release of computer vision software
Sbus digitizer
Problem of geometry
Range finders - information wanted
OCR
Re: KBVision, KHOROS, and LISP
Discussion: Ways to intergrate global inf into NN classifier
Ph.D. program in Computer Vision/Image Processing
Text and Image in document
Congress Hearings on the Future of the Internet
SMART: Call for Visiting Researchers
Email list on Very Low Bit-rate Video
International Workshop on Very Low Bit-rate Video
STSF'94 Workshop
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 21 Jul 93 18:55 -0700
From: Art Pope <pope@cs.ubc.ca>
Subject: Announcing release of computer vision software
Announcing the Free Availability of the
Vista Computer Vision Environment
Art Pope and David Lowe
University of British Columbia
The Vista software environment for computer vision research has been
developed at the University of British Columbia's Laboratory for
Computational Intelligence. Unlike most toolkits for image processing,
Vista allows easy extension to data types other than images. It is
designed to support computer vision research in which any user can easily
program new modules or add new data types. Vista comes with extensive
documentation, a collection of image manipulation routines, edge detectors,
edge linking, overlay of edge vectors on images, tools for printing images,
and tools for viewing images and vectors under the X Window System.
One useful component of Vista is a toolkit to allow rapid development of
applications running under X Windows. Using a few standard library
routines that do not require knowledge of X internals, a user can create
applications that display images, manipulate vectors, create menus, and
provide full mouse interaction with display elements. Vista contains an
image viewing widget that provides display independence, image scaling, and
interactive zooming.
Vista operations can be used both as stand-alone UNIX programs
or as library routines. The programs can be used from the UNIX shell
to manipulate files containing images and other objects; they can be
piped together to perform a sequence of operations. The library can be
used to construct custom applications, including ones that display
images interactively under X Windows.
Vista uses its own format for representing images, edge sets, and
other objects in data files. The format is highly flexible -- it can
represent a great variety of image types as well as collections of
images and other objects. The format is also extensible -- for
example, new image attributes can be added without the need to modify
existing software or data files. Tools are available for converting
images between Vista's format and other formats.
Vista is written in ANSI C for UNIX platforms. It requires the X
Window System (X11R5); some portions also require the OSF/Motif widget
library.
Vista's source code and documentation are available from ftp.cs.ubc.ca via
anonymous FTP. There are no significant restrictions on its distribution or
use. The remainder of this announcement contains a more detailed
description of Vista and instructions for obtaining it via FTP.
VISTA FILE FORMAT
Vista employs a data file format that allows any collection of images, edge
vectors, and other structured objects to be stored in a single file. This
allows, for example, both an edge set and the image from which it was
derived to be kept in one file.
Each file is divided into two parts. The first part, which contains
descriptions of the objects in the file, is represented entirely in ASCII
so that it can be easily viewed and even edited using a text editor. One
can, for example, add a comment annotating an image by simply editing that
part of the file. The second part of the file holds information that must
be stored compactly, such as image pixel values. There data is represented
efficiently with a binary encoding that is independent of machine byte order.
Vista's data file format can be readily extended. You can record custom
attributes with each of the images stored in your data files yet still
manipulate those images using the existing Vista software. You can also
define custom types of objects (e.g., an object describing a set of camera
parameters). These custom objects can be included in data files alongside
standard ones such as images and edge sets.
VISTA IMAGE FORMAT
A Vista image is a 3-dimensional array of pixels indexed by row, column,
and `band' number. The third dimension, band, is used to represent a
variety of things: the discrete frames of a motion sequence, various camera
viewpoints, multiple color channels, or the real and imaginary components
of complex pixel values. It is also used to represent combinations of these
-- allowing, for example, a single image to represent a motion sequence of
stereo pairs of RGB color images. Such images can be manipulated as easily
as a single-band, grey-scale intensity image by most of Vista's subroutines
and programs.
Several different pixel representations are supported. They range from a
single bit to a 32-bit signed integer and a 64-bit floating point number.
Again, images can be manipulated equally well regardless of pixel
representation by most of Vista's subroutines and programs.
Vista includes software for translating images in both directions between
`Portable Graymap' (PGM) file format and Vista format. The PBM+ package
can be used to reach a large variety of other formats from PGM format.
VISTA SOFTWARE
Vista includes the following software:
(a) a collection of UNIX filter programs for manipulating images. There
are programs for scaling, cropping and rotating images, adjusting
image brightness and contrast, converting images from one pixel
representation to another, performing an arithmetic or logical
operation on each pixel of an image, convolving two images, computing
pixel statistics, estimating the gradient of an image, computing the
Fourier transform of an image, computing the magnitude and phase of a
complex image, applying the Canny edge detector, and linking edge
pixels to form sets of extended edges.
(b) a collection of interactive programs for manipulating images under X
Windows. There are menu-driven programs for displaying images and edge
sets, cropping images, and adjusting image brightness and contrast.
(Some of these programs require the OSF/Motif widget library.)
(c) programs for converting Vista images to and from `Portable Graymap'
(PGM) format, for rendering images and edge sets using Encapsulated
PostScript, and for arranging multiple Encapsulated PostScript
pictures on a single page.
(d) a library of C routines. There are routines for performing each of the
operations listed above under item (a), from scaling images to linking
edge pixels. There are also routines for reading and writing Vista
data files, reporting errors, parsing command line options, and
generating PostScript documents.
(e) a widget for displaying images under X Windows. The widget has
built-in support for color allocation and dithering to accommodate
various displays having from 1 to 24 planes. It provides user
controls for panning and zooming the displayed image. The widget is
compatible with other widget sets based on the X Toolkit, including
the MIT Athena and OSF/Motif sets.
(f) a package that simplifies the task of creating an application that runs
under X Windows for displaying an image and lines while accepting
user input through menus and dialog boxes. The package shields the
programmer from having to understand a widget set, the X Toolkit, and
the Xlib library. The package itself uses the OSF/Motif widget set,
but it is designed for easy porting to other widget sets.
INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS
Vista is distributed as ANSI C source code. To build it you will need an
ANSI C compiler (we use the GNU project's gcc), X11R5 (at patch level 21 or
better), and about 40 megabytes of disk space.
The OSF/Motif widget library is needed to build some portions of Vista --
specifically, some of the programs mentioned under item (b), above, and the
package described under item (f). Lacking OSF/Motif it is still possible to
build most Vista software, including one of the programs for displaying
images under X Windows. We've been using V1.1.2 of the OSF/Motif library.
Like X11R5, Vista uses the imake facility to configure the build and
installation procedures for a particular site and machine architecture. You
will need the imake, makedepend, and mkdirhier tools distributed with
X11R5. Vista includes architecture-specific configuration files for SunOS
4.1, and Silicon Graphics's IRIX 4.0.
DOCUMENTATION
Vista is fully documented by about 250 pages of on-line `man' pages. It
also includes a tutorial on using Vista programs, an introduction to
programming with the Vista library, a set of example programs, installation
instructions, and guidelines for those contributing Vista software.
OBTAINING VISTA
Vista is available via anonymous FTP from ftp.cs.ubc.ca (IP number
137.82.8.5) as a compressed tar file. The file is
/pub/local/vista/vista-2.0.1.tar.gz
and its about 600 kilobytes in size. Fetch a copy in binary mode,
uncompress it using the GNU utility gunzip, untar it into the directory of
your choice, and follow the installation instructions you find there. If
you decide to keep and use Vista, let us know so that we can continue to
inform you of new releases, bug fixes, etc.
Some sample Vista data files are also available via anonymous FTP from
ftp.cs.ubc.ca. They're in /pub/local/vista/data, accompanied by a README
file.
WHY WE'RE DISTRIBUTING VISTA
Our hope in distributing Vista is that it will foster greater exchange
of software and data in the computer vision research community. We
believe that it can be a foundation on which the community builds and
shares reference implementations of commonly used algorithms.
Vista has all of the traits needed to fulfill this role. It provides a
framework for storing and manipulating not only images, but also other data
objects that often arise in conjunction with images -- for example, edge
sets, camera geometry specifications, and model parameters. It is designed
as an extensible system to which anyone can contribute. It is comprehensive
although not so large as to be unwieldly. And, importantly, it can be
freely distributed.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
In case of comments, problems, queries, bug reports, etc., contact:
Art Pope, pope@cs.ubc.ca, (604) 822-3061
David Lowe, lowe@cs.ubc.ca, (604) 822-3170
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1993 10:54:21 -0700
From: Matthew Turk <turk>
Subject: Sbus digitizer
Organization: Teleos Research, Palo Alto, CA
Several people have asked about SBus frame grabbers lately, so our
illustrious moderator asked me to post a description of ours. A few
months ago we bought a Datacell S2200 "Real Time Colour Frame Grabber
and Display". It's made by Datacell Ltd in the U.K. and marketed in
the U.S. by High Sierra Technologies (702) 832-0792.
The S2200 isn't the perfect digitizer, and it's quite expensive, but
here's the scoop. Single slot Sbus card, takes composite and
component video (e.g. NTSC and RGB) and S-Video, and digitizes to 24
bits. It displays to an RGB monitor. There are input and output
LUTs, and an overlay plane for display graphics. The image data is
memory-mapped (though stored interlaced). It has a "color space
converter", whereby the RGB signals can by transformed by an arbitrary
3x3 matrix. It has enough memory for two full RGB (512x480) images
(or 6 monochrome images, or 24 monochrome 256x240 images, etc.).
There is hardware subsampling by factors of 2 and 4. The board costs
somewhere around $4500, sans software.
The software, which costs another $1000 (very rough estimates, I don't
have the P.O. in front of me), consists of a low-level library and
some example code, along with an Openwindows-based interface for
digitizing and manipulating the various board parameters.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1993 17:36:31 +0200
From: Chokri BENAMAR <Chokri.BENAMAR@lai1.univ-lyon1.fr>
Subject: Problem of geometry
I'm looking for a program or an algorithm to find the radius and the
center of the circumscribing sphere of a polyedric object. This
polyedric object is caracterised by its vertices. All what i know are
the spatial coordinates ( x,y and z) of these vertices.
Any ideas !
Thank you in advance,
Chokri BEN AMAR
LAI,BAT.303,INSA,20 Avenue A.Einstein
69621 Villeurbanne FRANCE
TEL:(33)72.43.81.98
FAX:(33)72.43.85.35
E-MAIL:benamar@lai1.univ-lyon1.fr
------------------------------
From: mtc@aifh.ed.ac.uk
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 93 17:21:38 BST
Subject: Range finders - information wanted
Is anybody aware of a recent survey on range sensors since
the days of Besl's (Mechine Vision, 1988) and Everett's (Robotics
and Autonomous Systems, 1989)?
Articles listing manufacturers, prices etc would be
particularly welcome.
Thanks,
Manuel
Dr. Emanuele Trucco Research Fellow
Dept. of Artificial Intelligence | Email: mtc@aifh.ed.ac.uk
University of Edinburgh | Tel.: +44 31 650.3087
5 Forrest Hill, Edinburgh, | (Vision Lab) 650.4504
EH1 2QL, | FAX: +44 31 225.9370
SCOTLAND | TELEX: 727442 UNIVED G
------------------------------
Date: 21 Jul 93 07:55:47 GMT
From: barry@concave.cs.wits.ac.za (Barry Vincent Greenan)
Organization: Computer Science, University of the Witwatersrand
Subject: OCR
I am currently doing some research into OCR, specifically in the sub-field
of handwritten numerics, such as those found in ZIP codes, cheques etc.
If anyone could send me some info, or tell me where I could get hold of
some, please do so.
Thanks
Barry Greenan
barry@concave.cs.wits.ac.za
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 93 10:49 PDT
From: wilbur@constitution.ucr.edu (Wilhelm Burger)
Subject: Re: KBVision, KHOROS, and LISP
Several people asked me to summarize the response I received
to my posting in the VISION-LIST digest 12.30:
>Date: Thu, 8 Jul 93 15:53 PDT
>From: wilbur@constitution.ucr.edu (Wilhelm Burger)
>Subject: KBVision, KHOROS, and LISP
>
>I am faced with the problem of selecting a suitable combination of
>software tools for two upcoming vision projects that will involve
>image processing, pattern recognition, and AI-type processing. Due to
>this wide range of expected tasks, processing techniques,
>representation schemes, user preferences,... the requirements for
>that environment are quite demanding. Later reuse of produced code
>should also be straightforward.
>
>KBVision and its LISP-based Knowledge Module appear to be a viable and
>reasonably open choice, despite the famed user interface and
>relatively high price tag.
>
>KHOROS, on the other hand, is free and has become a de-facto
>government and industry standard. Being not familiar with KHOROS, I
>am seeking answers to the following questions:
>
>1. Has anybody used LISP (which I consider essential for AI-type
> processing) in combination with KHOROS? Can it be done and
> what effort would it be to implement?
>
>2. Does KHOROS have any notion of "tokens", i.e., methods
> for extraction, visualization, and storage of token sets
> or dynamic structures in general? Are there any toolboxes
> for this purpose?
;;;---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The above note was also posted on the 'comp.soft-sys.khoros'
newslist. Apparently, nobody has used LISP with KHOROS (question
1). Also, the is no notion of 'tokens' or 'token sets' (question
2) in KHOROS and I there do not seem to be any such toolboxes ei-
ther. KHOROS is probably a good tool for signal and image pro-
cessing, where relatively simple control and data flow structures
are sufficient. Currently, KHOROS supports only regular, image-
type data structures. There is no support for non-homogeneous
and dynamic (in size) data, as they are frequently encountered in
vision problems. Also, the advance summary of KHOROS 2.0 does not
give any indication that efforts are being made in that direc-
tion.
Comparing KHOROS and KBVision as an image processing tool, my
private checklist would include the following items:
1. extent and quality of the image processing library,
2. image visualization and inspection facilities,
3. support for different picture classes
4. support for image sequences (storage, visualization, processing)
5. support for token sets (representation, extraction, storage)
6. support for 3-D images
7. graphical user interface
8. integrability with LISP
9. hardcopy facilities
10. software engineering support (code generation, debugging,
documentation, multi-developer)
11. matureness and reliability
12. support for distributed computation
13. supported image file formats
14. cost and availability
KBVision and KHOROS are largely equivalent with respect to most
of the above items. KHOROS has probably some advantages with
respect to items 4, 10, 12, and certainly 14. The documentation
could probably be improved for both environments. KBVision has an
edge in items 2 and 5. KBV also has a clear advantage with
respect to 8, due to its LISP-based Knowledge Module.
Khoros is (for now at least) not a vision tool, since intermedi-
ate and high-level tasks are not supported. However, there are
some attractive features in KHOROS, such as alternative data
transport mechanisms between processes (other than files), which
I consider important. I am hoping that the Image Understanding
Environment will provide us with all these goodies some day in
the future.?
W. Burger
University of California, Riverside
email: wilbur@constitution.ucr.edu
I am including some of the responses below:
;;;---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From ele.etsmtl.ca!crevier Tue Jul 13 08:16:56 1993
>To: wilbur@constitution.ucr.edu
>Subject: KBVision, KHOROS, and LISP
>Cc: crevier@ele.etsmtl.ca
>
>Further to your enquiry in the VISION-LIST Digest, I have been involved in
>an AI-related vision project with KHOROS for several months now, and the
>results are rather disappointing. For one thing, KHOROS is plagued with a
>substantial number of bugs: the convolution routines for example give
>erroneous results in the first few columns and rows. We have found that
>compiling the supplied source code for the KHOROS routines also tended to
>result in errors. KHOROS takes up a very large amount of disk space, and it
>takes a lot of time to learn how to incorporate new code in it, or modify
>existing code. Execution is extremely slow, and the mechanisms supplied
>for controlling program execution are simplistic. Documentation is often
>poor: in order to find out what the labelling routine "vlabel" did
>exactly, we've had to print out the source code (even this turned out
>to be somewhat of a problem, since the KHOROS source directory has a
>rather cryptic structure). I am not aware of any token toolboxes for
>KHOROS, but this could be simply because I was otherwise too disappointed
>with the package to look for any. If you do learn of some, I'd appreciate
>if you'd let me know.
>
>My overall impression is that KHOROS is trying to be too many things to too
>many people. If they concentrated on image processing instead of being an
>"integrated software development environment," they'd probably do better.
>My group has recently purchased KBVision, and we hope to have better luck
>with this product.
>
>Sincerely,
>Daniel Crevier (crevier@ele.etsmtl.ca)
>Professor of Electrical Engineering,
>Ecole de Technologie Superieure,
>University of Quebec, Montreal, Canada
;;;--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From mason1.gmu.edu!ahauter Fri Jul 16 09:07:36 1993
>To: khoros@chama.eece.unm.edu
>Subject: Re: Khoros vs. KBVision
>Cc: adepersia@arpa.mil, wilbur@constitution.ucr.edu
...
>>1. Has anybody used LISP (which I consider essential for AI-type
>> processing) in combination with KHOROS? Can it be done and
>> what effort would it be to implement?
>
> LISP is a wonderful computer language to use because it
>permits the scientist to quickly express abstract ideas
>while ignoring mundane considerations such as memory
>allocation and type declaration. However, LISP is not
>considered a development language of choice because it is
>not portable.
(I strongly disagree with this comment - Wilbur)
> For development usage, C or C++ is
>frequently considered the language of choice. A robust
>LISP-to-C Translator would give the best of both worlds. How this can
>interface with the Khoros data structures is all together another
>question?
>
>>2. Does KHOROS have any notion of "tokens", i.e., methods
>> for extraction, visualization, and storage of token sets
>> or dynamic structures in general? Are there any toolboxes
>> for this purpose?
>
>If you mean by "tokens" the data structures to store features extracted
>from an image, then Khoros 1.5 is weak in this area. However, I'm not
>equipped to comment if this is being alleviated for 2.0. Hopefully,
>someone can?
>
>=========================================================
>Andrew J. Hauter, Engineer
>SAIC Tel: 703-525-0081
>4001 N. Fairfax Dr. Internet: ahauter@mason1.gmu.edu
>Arlington, VA 22203 ahauter@cpms.saic.com
>=========================================================
;;;---------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1993 16:39:49 GMT
From: dapeng@ee.su.oz.au (Dapeng Tien)
Organization: School of Electrical Engineering, University of Sydney
Subject: Discussion: Ways to intergrate global inf into NN classifier
Generally, after the training, an image classifier (statistical,
rule-based or NN) classifies one object at a time. However, this is not
always the case in real life. For example, the decision that a
pathologist makes, during cervical smear screening, depends not only on
individual cell objects, but also on the overall cell patterns on a
smear.
I did some research to add some globa information into a statistical
classifier -- by mathematically shifting classification boundaries after
the training.
I think the same thing could also be done to the NN classifiers. For
example, can the weights of the trained NN be shifted (mathematically)
if we know that the next input object is from a suspected bad (or good)
family? Does anyone have any experience in adding global information
into an NN classifier?
Dapeng Tien
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 93 10:27:35 SST
From: patyhh@nuscc.nus.sg (Yeow Heng Ho Peter (Mr))
Subject: Ph.D. program in Computer Vision/Image Processing
I plan to pursue a Ph.D. degree in the area of computer vision
and image processing. I would like to have suggestions for strong
programs and univeristies in this area. Please email to
patyhh@nuscc.nus.sg. Thank you.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 93 11:06:41 WST
From: ragu@iti.gov.sg (S. Ragupathi (MMC))
Subject: Text and Image in documents.
Hi,
I am looking for info on text and image separation in a document. Have you
come across any software product on this? If you have any pointers like
published papers/reports etc., kindly mail me.
Thanks in advance,
Ragu.
Dr. S. Ragupathi,
Information Technology Institute,
Singapore 0511
e-mail: ragu@iti.gov.sg
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 93 15:42:59 EDT
From: Daniel B. Szyld <szyld@euclid.math.temple.edu>
Subject: Congress Hearings on the Future of the Internet
[ This affects all of us. Please register your opinions...
phil... ]
As many of you may know there is a push to privatize the Internet
and charge per connect time and/or per bit transmitted.
Congress has scheduled hearings on the subject.
If you have an opinion on the subject, the following message
might be of interest:
From: Ted Baker <baker@alpha.cs.fsu.edu>
Subject: on-line congressional hearing on internet
This is an abbreviation of a longer message I received. I think
all internet users should probably drop our Congress a line.
--Ted Baker
On July 26 at 9:30AM EDT, the Subcommittee on Telecommunications
and Finance of the U.S. House of Representatives will hold the first
Congressional Hearing ever held over a computer network....
One of the primary points that we are hoping to demonstrate is
the diversity and size of the Internet. We have therefore established
an electronic mail address by which people on the Internet can communicate
with the Subcommittee before and during the hearing:
congress@town.hall.org
We encourage you to send your comments on what the role of government
should be in the information age to this address. Your comments to this
address will be made part of the public record of the hearing. Feel free
to carry on a dialogue with others on a mailing list, cc'ing the e-mail
address.
Your cards and letters to congress@town.hall.org will help
demonstrate that there are people who use the Internet as part of their
personal and professional lives. We encourage you to send comments on
the role of government in cyberspace, on what role cyberspace should play
in government (e.g., whether government data be made available on the
Internet), on how the Internet should be built and financed, on how you
use the Internet, and on any other topic you feel is appropriate. This
is your chance to show the U.S. Congress that there is a constituency
that cares about this global infrastructure.
If you would like to communicate with a human being about the
hearing, you may send your comments and questions to:
hearing-info@town.hall.org
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 93 16:42:59 BST
From: rbf@aifh.ed.ac.uk
Subject: SMART: Call for Visiting Researchers
SMART: Call for Visiting Researchers
Circulated to: comp.ai.robotics, pixel, Vision-List@teleos.com
The Commission of the European Communities (CEC) has awarded a
Human Capital and Mobility project grant to a consortium of 13
research organisations. The project is called SMART: Semi-Autonomous
Monitoring and Robotics Technology. This grant allows these organisations
to host visiting researchers for periods of 3 to 12 months (typically 3
months), provided their research interests coincide with the remit of the
project. The purpose of the grant is to help develop collaboration and
exchange of ideas among European researchers interested in this topic.
The project is described in more detail below.
Several of the 13 partners would like to invite a FEW (e.g. 1-3)
visiting researchers per site from other organisations to work in their
laboratories for 3 to 12 month visits. The period during which the funds may be
used is from May 1993 to May 1995. Researchers may travel at any time
during this period, but applications will be handled first-come/first-served.
The CEC funds will pay for salary, travel, overheads to the host
institution and all expenses during the visit.
Applicants for SMART visiting research grants must be a citizen
from one of the 12 EC member states.
To be eligible for a grant, you must be applying from one of the EC
countries, and that country must be different from the country that you
propose to visit, which must also be an EC country.
Applicants should have a minimum of 2 years of post-graduate education
in a relevant area or related work experience. The grant is primarily
intended for the development of younger researchers, but no age
restrictions are applicable.
If you or one of your colleagues/staff are interested in applying for
a research visit, please look at the list of organisations below and
identify one whose research interests are compatible with yours. You
should then make contact with the designated person in the chosen
organisation directly. Do not contact me unless you wish to be a visitor
in my laboratory.
Bob Fisher
================================================================
SMART: Semi-Autonomous Monitoring and Robotics Technology
The SMART network addresses the development of human resources for the
technologies of monitoring and surveillance, autonomous robotics and
teleoperation. The combination of these technologies is crucial to the
development of applications in automation. Network partners include
public research laboratories and small enterprises working on
applications in the areas of manipulation and monitoring of hazardous
materials security surveillance, civil works, and underwater robotics.
The network makes possible technology transfer and training of staff about
recent innovations in the areas of monitoring surveillance, autonomous robotics
and teleoperation. In the area of monitoring and surveillance, advances
in computing technology and robotic camera heads have made possible real
time systems for robust detection and tracking of objects and activities
in complex environment. Similar advances are occurring in other areas
of visual and non-visual sensing. In the area of autonomous robotics,
task level planning and execution have recently been demonstrated in
prototype systems. More widespread application of these techniques
requires real time sensing abilities similar to those developed for
monitoring and surveillance. Technologies for teleoperation and
telesurveillance have continued to progress due to advances in
ergonomics, refinements in the electromechanical components, and
increasing use of autonomy for low level control. Adaptation of action
level autonomy and binocular camera heads offer improvements in
robustness and ease of use and teleoperated systems. Recent progress
in these three technologies offers the possibility of synergistic
combinations which may further accelerate technology development.
================================================================
Organisations looking for visiting researchers
================================================================
Institution:
Commission of the European Communities, Joint Research Centre
21020 Ispra (VA), ITALY
70 Km North of Milan
Research Interests:
* Vision based navigation of a vehicle inside a quasi structured environment.
* 3D environment modelling and description based on range data.
Contact Person:
Dr. Joao Goncalves
email: joao.goncalves@cen.jrc.it
tel: 39 + 332 + 789 416
fax: 39 + 332 + 789 185
================================================================
Institution:
Tecnopolis Csata Novus Ortus
Robotics and Automation Dept.
Str Prov. per Casamassima km 3
70010 Valenzano(BA)
Italy
Research interests:
* Developing of opto-motor reflexes for autonomous navigation
behaviours of mobile platforms operating in real time.
* Advanced MMI for teleoperation.
Contact Person :
Dr. Piero Cosoli
email : cosoli@rob.csata.it
fax : +39-80-8770 247
================================================================
Institution:
Scuola Superiore S. Anna
ARTS Lab (Advanced Robotics Technologies and Systems
Laboratory)
via Carducci, 40
57127 Pisa, Italy
Research interests:
navigation, orientation (visual servoing), tactile flow,
sensorimotor integration (in general: artificial perception
- tactile, visual, proximity, fusion)
Contact Person:
Prof. Paolo Dario
email: dario@arts.sssup.it
tel: +39-50-559207/560108
fax: +39-50-559215
================================================================
Institution:
School of Computer Studies
University of Leeds
Woodhouse Lane
Leeds LS2 9JT
UK
Research interests:
Computer vision, especially motion analysis, event detection, and
application to surveillance and virtual reality.
Contact Person:
Prof. David Hogg
email: dch@scs.leeds.ac.uk
fax: +44-532-335468
tel: +44-532-335765
================================================================
Institution:
Computer Vision Group,
Dept. of Computer Science,
Trinity College,
University of Dublin,
Dublin 2.
Contact Person:
Dr. Ken Dawson
email: Kenneth.Dawson@cs.tcd.ie
fax: +353-1-6772204
Research interests:
1. Monitoring (e.g. in the security industry), concentrating
in particular on the roles of attention and modelling, with a
pressing need for the development of a complex pan-tilt head
arrangement.
2. Autonomous robotics considering obstacle avoidance, visual
and sonar data fusion, and subsumption architectures, with a
pressing need for the development of a reliable mobile platform.
================================================================
Institution:
Dept. of Artificial Intelligence
Univ. of Edinburgh
5 Forrest Hill
Edinburgh EH1 2QL
United Kingdom
Contact Person:
Dr. Robert Fisher
email: rbf@aifh.edinburgh.ac.uk
fax: (44)-31-225-9370
Research interests:
range data interpretation, surface shape description, 3D object
recognition and location, surface inspection
================================================================
Institution:
Dept of Computer Science
Reading University
PO Box 225
Whiteknights
Reading, UK
Contact Person:
Dr. Geoff Sullivan
email: g.sullivan@reading.ac.uk
FAX (+44) 734 751994
Research interests:
Model-based methods for traffic analysis and surveillance.
Pose recovery and tracking of known objects in 3D from single cameras.
Control of foveal attention in wide-field images.
Mobile robots in known (modelled) scenes.
================================================================
Institution:
AITEK Srl
Via Pisa 12/1
16146 Genova Italy
Contact Person:
Dr. Fabrizio Ferrari
Tel. +39 - 10 - 315180
Fax +39 - 10 - 314873
email: stress@aitek.it
Research interests:
Vision Based Navigation
Monitoring and Surveillance
================================================================
Institution:
Dipartimento di Informatica Sistemistica e Telematica (DIST)
University of Genova
via Opera Pia 11/A
16146 Genova ITALY
Contact Person:
Prof. Giulio Sandini
Tel: +39 10 3532779
Fax: +39 10 3532948
email: giulio@dist.dist.unige.it
Research interests:
Motion Based Segmentation and Navigation
Optical Flow
Vision Based Navigation
================================================================
Institution:
Institute of Systems and Robotics
Largo Marques de Pombal
Dept. of Electrical Engineering
University of Coimbra
3000 Coimbra
Contact Person:
Prof. Helder Araujo
Phone: +351-39-36175
Fax: +351-39-35672
email: helder@uc.pt
Research interests:
Multiocular stereovision systems,development and control of active
vision heads, sensor integration, vision-based navigation
================================================================
Institution:
Institute of Systems and Robotics
CAPS/Complexo 1
Instituto Superior Technico
Av Rovisco Pais
1096 Lisboa
Portugal
Contact person:
Prof. Helder Araujo
Phone: +351-39-36175
Fax: +351-39-35672
email: helder@uc.pt
Research interests:
Underwater mobile robotics, development and control of active
vision heads, stereo vision, depth from motion algorithms,
visual-based navigation, qualitative vision.
------------------------------
From: Adrian F Clark <alien@essex.ac.uk>
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 93 19:04:56 +0100
Subject: Email list on Very Low Bit-rate Video
Announcing a moderated email list on
VLBV -- Very Low Bit-rate Video
The purpose of this mailing list is to provide an international forum
for the discussion of coding techniques being developed for MPEG-4 and
beyond. Applications include videophones, multimedia electronic mail,
remote sensing, electronic newspapers, interactive multimedia
databases, multimedia videotex, games, interactive computer imagery,
multimedia annotation, and communication aids for deaf people.
Contributions are invited on model-based, object-oriented,
feature-based, wavelet, fractal, vector-quantization and other video
and audio-visual coding methods that promise improved performance at
very low bit rates compared with CCITT H.261 and ISO 11172. The term
"very low bit rate" implies a range of 4.8--64 kbit/s for moving
images.
The VLBV list is coordinated with the International Workshop on Coding
Techniques for Very Low Bit-rate Video.
Submissions: vlbv@essex.ac.uk
To register for the list, send an email message to
vlbv-request@essex.ac.uk with the body of the message containing:
subscribe firstname lastname
where firstname and lastname are your given name and surname
respectively.
Dr Adrian F. Clark JANET: alien@uk.ac.essex
INTERNET: alien%uk.ac.essex@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk FAX: (+44) 206-872900
BITNET: alien%uk.ac.essex@ac.uk PHONE: (+44) 206-872432 (direct)
Dept ESE, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex, C04 3SQ, UK.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 93 19:05:25 +0100
From: Adrian F Clark <alien@essex.ac.uk>
Subject: International Workshop on Very Low Bit-rate Video
# # # ###### # # ##### #
# # # # # # # # # # #
# # # # # # # # # # # International Workshop
# # # ###### # # ###### # #
# # # # # # # # ####### on Coding Techniques
# # # # # # # # # #
# # # # # # # # # # for Very Low Bit-rate Video
# ####### ###### # ##### #
7--8 April 1994
University of Essex, Colchester, UK
CALL FOR PAPERS
The purpose of this workshop is to provide an international forum for
the discussion of coding techniques being developed for MPEG-4 and
beyond. Applications include videophones, multimedia electronic mail,
remote sensing, electronic newspapers, interactive multimedia
databases, multimedia videotex, games, interactive computer imagery,
multimedia annotation, and communication aids for deaf people. Papers
are invited on model-based, object-oriented, feature-based, wavelet,
fractal, vector-quantization and other video and audio-visual coding
methods that promise improved performance at very low bit rates
compared with CCITT H.261 and ISO 11172. The term "very low bit rate"
implies a range of 4.8--64 kbit/s for moving images.
INTERNATIONAL STEERING COMMITTEE
Don Pearson (University of Essex, UK) (Chairman)
Leonardo Chiariglione (CSELT, Italy)
Robert Forchheimer (University of Linkoping, Sweden)
Yoshinori Hatori (KDD, Japan)
Barry Haskell (AT\&T Bell Laboratories, USA)
Thomas Huang (University of Illinois, USA)
Murat Kunt (EPFL, Switzerland)
Andrew Lippman (MIT, USA)
Hans Musmann (University of Hannover, Germany)
Richard Nicol (British Telecom Laboratories, UK)
John Robinson (University of Waterloo, Canada)
Yasuhiko Yasuda (Waseda University, Japan)
SUBMISSION PROCEDURE
Prospective contributors are invited to submit for consideration a
summary of at least 2 pages and not more than 4 pages to Mrs Lynne
Murrell at the address below. Submissions will be refereed, with
preference being given to those containing explicit coding results.
Mrs Lynne Murrell
VLBV94
Department of Electronic Systems Engineering
University of Essex
Colchester CO4 3SQ
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 206 872418
Fax: +44 206 872900
Email: vlbv94@essex.ac.uk
SCHEDULE FOR SUBMISSIONS
18 Oct 1993 Summary due
5 Jan 1994 Notifications of acceptance mailed
21 Feb 1994 Deadline for optional updated summary
REGISTRATION OF INTEREST
If you wish to receive further information about the workshop, please
complete and return the following form.
VLBV94 --- REGISTRATION OF INTEREST
7--8 April 1994
University of Essex, Colchester, UK
If you are interested in attending the International Workshop on
Coding Techniques for Very Low Bit-rate Video, please EITHER complete
and return this form to the address shown below OR send the
information by email to the address below. Please return the
information as soon as possible, and no later than 1-Sep-1993. (A
PostScript version of this form is available by anonymous FTP from
peipa.essex.ac.uk in directory pub/vlbv94.)
Mrs Lynne Murrell
VLBV94
Department of Electronic Systems Engineering
University of Essex
Colchester CO4 3SQ
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 206 872418
Fax: +44 206 872900
Email: vlbv94@essex.ac.uk
Title . . . . . Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Telephone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Email address. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I intend to submit a paper (yes/no). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I intend to participate only (yes/no). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1993 11:53:14 UTC+0100
From: Miquel Barcelo <blo@lsi.upc.es>
Subject: STSF'94 Workshop
Friends,
You will find here the CALL OF PAPERS of a new Workshop on
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY THROUGH SCIENCE FICTION
to be held next summer in Barcelona, Spain (22nd and 23rd, June 1994).
This will be the first edition of such a Workshop so, if you know
more people that could be interested, please help in making this
information available just forwarding this message.
If you need more information, please feel free to ask to:
blo@lsi.upc.es
Yours,
Miquel Barcels
First Announcement and CALL FOR PAPERS
STSF '94
An International Workshop on
SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY through SCIENCE FICTION
22nd-23rd June 1994 - BARCELONA (Spain)
Organized by:
CONSELL SOCIAL (Board of Trustees)
of Universitat Polithcnica de Catalunya (UPC)
in cooperation with:
Software Department (UPC)
Physics and Nuclear Engineering Department (UPC)
WORLD SF (Hispanic Chapter)
THE WORKSHOP
A good working definition of science fiction is "speculative ex-
trapolation about the effect of science and technology on society".
The aim of this International Workshop is to provide a forum for iden-
tifying, encouraging and discussing research about science and tech-
nology, or their consequences, as portrayed in science fiction. The
Workshop will bring together researchers, scientists, and other aca-
demics with science fiction professionals to share information and ex-
plore new ideas about the relationship between science fiction,
science and technology.
TOPICS OF INTEREST
The topics of interest include but are not limited to:
- Biotechnology, genetic engineering
- Computer science, robotics, artificial intelligence
- Macroengineering
- Nanotechnology
- Physics, astronomy, cosmology
- Professional activity of scientists and engineers
- Social impact of science and technology
- Teaching science and technology with science fiction
PROGRAM COMMITTEE
* Miquel Barcels (Software Dept., UPC, SPAIN)
* Joe Haldeman (SFWA president, M.I.T. Associate Professor, USA)
* Elizabeth A. Hull (SFRA past-president, USA)
* Frederik Pohl (SFWA and WSF past-president, USA)
* Vernor Vinge (Dept. of Math Sciences, SDSU, USA)
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
* Miquel Barcels (Software Dept., UPC)
* Laura Cabarrocas (Board of Trustees (secr.), UPC)
* Gay Haldeman (Writing Program, M.I.T.,USA)
* Pedro Jorge (Hispanic Chapter of WORLD SF)
* Jordi Josi (Physics and Nuclear Engineering Dept., UPC)
* Louis Lemkow (Sociology Dept., UAB)
* Manel Moreno (Physics and Nuclear Engineering Dept., UPC)
INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
Paper submissions must be in English and no more than 6000 words long.
The Proceedings of the Workshop will be published by the organi-
zing institution.
Authors are requested to submit a "Letter of Intention" with the
title of the paper and a short abstract (less than one page) be-
fore November 30, 1993.
Authors must submit five copies of each paper, before January 31,
1994, to the:
Program Chairperson:
Miquel Barcels
Facultat d'Inform`tica
Universitat Polithcnica de Catalunya
Pau Gargallo, 5
E 08028 BARCELONA (Spain)
Tel: 34.3.401.6958
Fax: 34.3.401.7113
E-mail: blo@lsi.upc.es
IMPORTANT DATES
* Deadline for Letter of Intention: November 30, 1993
* Deadline for Paper Submission: January 31, 1994
* Notification of Acceptance: March 15, 1994
* Camera Ready Papers Due: April 30, 1994
* Workshop: June, 22-23, 1994
------------------------------
End of VISION-LIST digest 12.33
************************
