Two new techniques for computer-vision technology mimic how humans perceive three-dimensional shapes by instantly recognizing objects no matter how they are twisted or bent, an advance that could help machines see more like people. The techniques, called heat mapping and heat distribution, apply mathematical methods to enable machines to perceive three-dimensional objects, researchers mentioned at Purdue. Both of the techniques build on the basic physics and mathematical equations related to how heat diffuses over surfaces. As heat diffuses over a surface it follows and captures the precise contours of a shape. The system takes advantage of this intelligence of heat, simulating heat flowing from one point to another and in the process characterizing the shape of an object. A major limitation of existing methods is that they require prior information about a shape in order for it to be analyzed. Researchers developing a new machine-vision technique tested their method on certain complex shapes, including the human form or a centaur – a mythical half-human, half-horse creature. The heat mapping allows a computer to recognize the objects no matter how the figures are bent or twisted and is able to ignore noise introduced by imperfect laser scanning or other erroneous data.
The new methods mimic the human ability to properly perceive objects because they don't require a preconceived idea of how many segments exist. The methods have many potential applications, including a 3D search engine to find mechanical parts such as automotive components in a database; robot vision and navigation; 3D medical imaging; military drones; multimedia gaming; creating and manipulating animated characters in film production; helping 3D cameras to understand human gestures for interactive games; contributing to progress of areas in science and engineering related to pattern recognition; machine learning; and computer vision. The heat-mapping method works by first breaking an object into a mesh of triangles, the simplest shape that can characterize surfaces, and then calculating the flow of heat over the meshed object. The method does not involve actually tracking heat; it simulates the flow of heat using well-established mathematical principles. Heat mapping allows a computer to recognize an object, such as a hand or a nose, no matter how the fingers are bent or the nose is deformed and is able to ignore noise introduced by imperfect laser scanning or other erroneous data.
More information:
http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2011/110620RamaniHeat.html
More information:
http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2011/110620RamaniHeat.html