A vision fronted with a new disparity model

We are developing a frontend that is based on the image representation in the visual cortex and plausible processing schemes. This frontend consists of multiscale line/edge and keypoint (vertex) detection, using models of simple, complex and end-stopped cells. This frontend is being extended by a new disparity model. Assuming that there is no neural inverse tangent operator, we do not exploit Gabor phase information. Instead, we directly use simple cell (Gabor) responses at positions where lines and edges are detected.

Integrated multi-scale architecture of the cortex with application to computer vision

Tese de dout., Engenharia Electrónica e de Computadores, Faculdade de Ciência e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2007

A vision system for detecting paths and moving obstacles for the blind

In this paper we present a monocular vision system for a navigation aid. The system assists blind persons in following paths and sidewalks, and it alerts the user to moving obstacles which may be on collision course. Path borders and the vanishing point are de-tected by edges and an adapted Hough transform. Opti-cal flow is detected by using a hierarchical, multi-scale tree structure with annotated keypoints. The tree struc-ture also allows to segregate moving objects, indicating where on the path the objects are. Moreover, the centre of the object relative to the vanishing point indicates whether an object is approaching or not.

Local gist vision of man-made objects

Attention is usually modelled by sequential fixation of peaks in saliency maps. Those maps code local conspicuity: complexity, colour and texture. Such features have no relation to entire objects, unless also disparity and optical flow are considered, which often segregate entire objects from their background. Recently we developed a model of local gist vision: which types of objects are about where in a scene. This model addresses man-made objects which are dominated by a small shape repertoire: squares, rectangles, trapeziums, triangles, circles and ellipses. Only exploiting local colour contrast, the model can detect these shapes by a small hierarchy of cell layers devoted to low- and mid-level geometry. The model has been tested successfully on video sequences containing traffic signs and other scenes, and partial occlusions were not problematic.

Biologically Inspired Vision for Indoor Robot Navigation

Ultrasonic, infrared, laser and other sensors are being applied in robotics. Although combinations of these have allowed robots to navigate, they are only suited for specific scenarios, depending on their limitations. Recent advances in computer vision are turning cameras into useful low-cost sensors that can operate in most types of environments. Cameras enable robots to detect obstacles, recognize objects, obtain visual odometry, detect and recognize people and gestures, among other possibilities. In this paper we present a completely biologically inspired vision system for robot navigation. It comprises stereo vision for obstacle detection, and object recognition for landmark-based navigation. We employ a novel keypoint descriptor which codes responses of cortical complex cells. We also present a biologically inspired saliency component, based on disparity and colour.

Object segregation and local gist vision using low-level geometry

Multi-scale representations of lines, edges and keypoints on the basis of simple, complex and end-stopped cells can be used for object categorisation and recognition (Rodrigues and du Buf, 2009 BioSystems 95 206-226). These representations are complemented by saliency maps of colour, texture, disparity and motion information, which also serve to model extremely fast gist vision in parallel with object segregation. We present a low-level geometry model based on a single type of self-adjusting grouping cell, with a circular array of dendrites connected to edge cells located at several angles.

The smart vision local navigation aid for blind and visually impaired persons

The SmartVision prototype is a small, cheap and easily wearable navigation aid for blind and visually impaired persons. Its functionality addresses global navigation for guiding the user to some destiny, and local navigation for negotiating paths, sidewalks and corridors, with avoidance of static as well as moving obstacles. Local navigation applies to both in- and outdoor situations. In this article we focus on local navigation: the detection of path borders and obstacles in front of the user and just beyond the reach of the white cane, such that the user can be assisted in centering on the path and alerted to looming hazards. Using a stereo camera worn at chest height, a portable computer in a shoulder-strapped pouch or pocket and only one earphone or small speaker, the system is inconspicuous, it is no hindrence while walking with the cane, and it does not block normal surround sounds. The vision algorithms are optimised such that the system can work at a few frames per second.

A computer vision based web application for tracking soccer players

Soccer is a sport where everyone that is involved with it make all the efforts aiming for excellence. Not only the players need to show their skills on the pitch but also the coach, and the remaining staff, need to have their own tools so that they can perform at higher levels. Footdata is a project to build a new web application product for soccer (football), which integrates two fundamental components of this sport's world: the social and the professional. While the former is an enhanced social platform for soccer professionals and fans, the later can be considered as a Soccer Resource Planning, featuring a system for acquisition and processing information to meet all the soccer management needs. In this paper we focus only in a specific module of the professional component. We will describe the section of the web application that allows to analyse movements and tactics of the players using images directly taken from the pitch or from videos, we will show that it is possible to draw players and ball movements in a web application and detect if those movements occur during a game. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.

A computer vision based web application for tracking soccer players

Soccer is a sport where everyone that is involved with it make all the efforts aiming for excellence. Not only the players need to show their skills on the pitch but also the coach, and the remaining staff, need to have their own tools so that they can perform at higher levels. Footdata is a project to build a new web application product for soccer (football), which integrates two fundamental components of this sport’s world: the social and the professional. While the former is an enhanced social platform for soccer professionals and fans, the later can be considered as a Soccer Resource Planning, featuring a system for acquisition and processing information to meet all the soccer management needs. In this paper we focus only in a specific module of the professional component. We will describe the section of the web application that allows to analyse movements and tactics of the players using images directly taken from the pitch or from videos, we will show that it is possible to draw players and ball movements in a web application and detect if those movements occur during a game.

Authenticity in Scaling the Vision: Defining Boundaries in the Food and Beverage Entrepreneurship Development Cycle

The October 2015 Food and Beverage Entrepreneurship Roundtable brought together over 30 food and beverage industry leaders, entrepreneurs, faculty, and students at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. Discussion topics covered entrepreneurship in the food and beverage industry, including development, intrapreneurship, operational efficiency, beverage product development, and technology. The roundtable began with the presentation of a five-point framework on food and beverage venue development. The first three phases focused on the launch of a venue, including how to define the guest experience; the creation of operational functionality by strategically planning out the design, flow, and efficiency of a defined space; and development capacity. The remaining two points of the framework focused on post-opening considerations, including operating systems and culture development. Participants discussed the importance of culture in the growth of a business. They suggested that intrapreneurship needs to be fostered in the culture of an organization and in an educational curriculum for those who are preparing to enter the industry. Participants also discussed the fine balance between setting expectations for an experience and subsequently being able to maintain this experience in a fast changing environment. In particular they considered what it means to say no to customers. A discussion on the beverage industry focused on how to distribute products in a crowded marketplace. One method to ensure that the product gets into the hands of the consumers is face-to-face sales. Finally, in the technology session, the group discussed technology adoption, specifically focusing on the point at which technology detracts from the guest experience, how to minimize operational risk from technology, and how to maximize consumers’ adoption rates.

Desenvolvimento comunitário e diversidade cultural no K’Cidade

Relatório de estágio de mestrado, Ciências da Educação (Educação Intercultural), Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Educação, 2013

Investigating the causal role of rightOFA in holistic detection of Mooney faces and objects: an fMRI-guided TMS study

Background The right occipital face area (rOFA) is known to be involved in face discrimination based on local featural information. Whether this region is involved in global, holistic stimulus processing is not known. Objective We used fMRI-guided transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate whether rOFA is causally implicated in stimulus detection based on holistic processing, by the use of Mooney stimuli. Methods Two studies were carried out: In Experiment 1, participants performed a detection task involving Mooney faces and Mooney objects; Mooney stimuli lack distinguishable local features and can be detected solely via holistic processing (i.e. at a global level) with top-down guidance from previously stored representations. Experiment 2 required participants to detect shapes which are recognized via bottom-up integration of local (collinear) Gabor elements and was performed to control for specificity of rightOFA's implication in holistic detection. Results In Experiment 1, TMS over rOFA and rLO impaired detection of all stimulus categories, with no category-specific effect. In Experiment 2, shape detection was impaired when TMS was applied over rLO but not over rOFA. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that rOFA is causally implicated in the type of top-down holistic detection required by Mooney stimuli and that such role is not face-selective. In contrast, rOFA does not appear to play a causal role in in detection of shapes based on bottom-up integration of local components, demonstrating that its involvement in processing non-face stimuli is specific for holistic processing.

Holistic Analysis for Fork-Join Distributed Tasks supported by the FTT-SE Protocol

11th IEEE World Conference on Factory Communication Systems (WFCS 2015). 27 to 29, May, 2015, TII-SS-2: Scheduling and Performance Analysis. Palma de Mallorca, Spain.