<title>Handheld camera 3D modeling system using multiple reference panels</title>

Recently developed computational methods allow the imputation of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes using intergenic single nucleotide polymorphism markers. To improve the imputation accuracy in HLA imputation, it is essential to increase the sample size and the diversity of alleles in the reference panel. Our software, MergeReference, helps achieve this goal by providing a streamlined pipeline for combining multiple reference panels into one.

UAV multispectral remote sensing for agriculture: A comparative study of radiometric correction methods under varying illumination conditions

One of the key tasks for a robot operating in uneven terrain, such as in disaster areas, is the search and retrieval of a target object. It is advantageous for the robot to perform these tasks autonomously. With the aim of achieving autonomous object search and retrieval for a tracked mobile robot, this study investigates an object search motion that incorporates object detection and retrieval for a spray can, which serves as the target object, using a quadruped tracked mobile robot developed by the authors. In the object search, the robot utilizes a vision camera to detect the target object. A deep learning model, the Single Shot Multibox Detector (SSD), is employed for object detection, as it is one of the widely used algorithms in deep learning for object localization. Additionally, an image cropping method and a tiling-based approach are applied to effectively detect objects located at longer distances. After the initial search for the object, the robot continuously detects the object through image extraction during its movement toward the target object. For the object retrieval motion, the position and orientation of the object are determined using the robot’s depth camera, based on edge detection. This information allows the robot to calculate the optimal grasping positions for both hands, which are mounted at the end of the front legs. The robot then repositions itself accordingly, aligns its hands with the calculated grasping positions, and executes the grasping motion to securely lift the object, using the front legs as manipulators. Using these methods, we conducted experiments with the robot to evaluate object search and retrieval in outdoor environments. The results demonstrated the robot’s ability to detect the target object at a long distance, move toward the object while maintaining detection, approach it, identify the optimal grasping position, and lift it. Experimental results confirmed the successful execution of these sequential motions for object search and retrieval.

Microcomputers are becoming more prevalent on drilling rigs as a means of monitoring drilling parameters and doing repetitive calculations. Until recently, little, if any software was dictated to drilling mud property analysis that could easily be run on a personal computer on the rig. A database has been developed that uses an inexpensive commercial software package allowing the user at the rig to input the daily mud properties and treatments. The software package allows the user to design the database to meet any particular situation that he requires. After he has made all of the inputs, all necessary calculations are then performed and a daily drilling mud report can be generated. Along with this package is the ability to instantly produce a graph of any set of properties or calculated values and view this either on the screen or on a printer. Trend lines for a certain property can be established and divergence from this trend line can quickly be noted. Adjustments in mud treatments could then be initiated. Drilling fluid post well audits and recaps can now be generated as soon as the well is completed as all of the information is stored in the database. In this manner, the mud engineer enters the data at the rig and then this data can be sent to any location by modem or by floppy disk. This alleviates hand written reports that will have to be retyped by a secretary. The information only has to be entered once. This system has been tested on several field jobs at the present with good results. Also, the program is user friendly and no intensive operator training is required. Input of data is very efficient and can be done in less than 15 minutes. A total drilling mud history for a well can easily be stored on a floppy disk and recalled for any post well analysis or future planning.

We have been studying an in-situ 3D modeling and authoring system, AR Diorama. In the AR Diorama system, a user is able to reconstruct a 3D model of a real object of concern and describe behaviors of the model by stroke input. In this article, we will introduce two ongoing studies on interactive 3D reconstruction techniques. First technique is feature-based. Natural feature points are first extracted and tracked. A convex hull is then obtained from the feature points based on Delaunay tetrahedralisation. The polygon mesh is carved to approximate the target object based on a feature-point visibility test. Second technique is region-based. Foreground and background color distribution models are first estimated to extract an object region. Then a 3D model of the target object is reconstructed by silhouette carving. Experimental results show that the two techniques can reconstruct a better 3D model interactively compared with our previous system.

Bioinspired micropillar adhesives have shown broad application prospects in space capture and docking, due to their strong adhesion, good environmental adaptability, and reusability. However, when performing space missions, unavoidable contact collision with target objects may cause large deformation of the micropillars, resulting in the loss of adhesion ability. This study reports a novel micropillar adhesive through the in‐plane combination of micropillars (IPCM) with different aspect ratios, consisting of small pillars for retaining strong adhesion and large ones for resisting overload‐induced adhesion failure. It is demonstrated that the IPCM array can still maintain 85% of the adhesion peak after static large deformation compared to a general micropillar array composed of the same pillars. The impact of element size and layout of the IPCM, as well as detachment velocity on adhesion performance under high preload is discussed. Furthermore, finite element contact analysis qualitatively reproduces the experimentally observed micropillar deformations and attributes the overload‐induced adhesion failure to the redistribution of surface normal stress. Finally, the potential application of the IPCM in dynamic capture is demonstrated on different objects. The proposed IPCM opens up new design concepts for practical applications of bioinspired adhesives in space capture and docking.

Artificial beacons generated at the sodium layer have many advantages for adaptive optics (AO) systems in astronomy. The source can be sufficiently bright to achieve high Strehl ratios at infrared wavelengths and because the target object can often be used as the tracking source, photometric field errors can be much reduced compared to off-axis natural beacons. The problem has been to develop a laser that could be tuned to the sodium D2 line and focused into a compact spot without saturating the layer. Both CW and sum frequency lasers are well suited for this work will be used for the ChAOS AO system described elsewhere in this conference. In this paper we discuss some of the parameters that determine how well CW work, the limitations of pulsed lasers and the development of a 10 watt diode laser pumped sum frequency laser for use in astronomy.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

The acquisition of surround-view panoramas using a single hand-held or head-worn camera relies on robust real-time camera orientation tracking and relocalization. This paper presents robust methodology and evaluation for camera orientation relocalization, using virtual keyframes for online environment map construction. In the case of tracking loss, incoming camera frames are matched against known-orientation keyframes to re-estimate camera orientation. Instead of solely using real keyframes from incoming video, the proposed approach employs virtual keyframes which are distributed strategically within completed portions of an environment map. To improve tracking speed, we introduce a new variant of our system which carries out relocalization only when tracking fails and uses inexpensive image-patch descriptors. We compare different system variants using three evaluation methods to show that the proposed system is useful in a practical sense. To improve relocalization robustness against lighting changes in indoor and outdoor environments, we propose a new approach based on illumination normalization and saturated area removal. We examine the performance of our solution over several indoor and outdoor video sequences, evaluating relocalization rates based on ground truth from a pan-tilt unit.

Because of the increased number of unmanned space missions and a growing complexity in these missions the ability to manoeuvre around nearby passive objects is becoming increasingly crucial. These manoeuvres can include avoidance, observation and / or docking. Though these already occur, all of the methods currently used are inadequate for an autonomous system either due to excessive calculation time, or are not suitable in a general scenario where the target object is passive. This paper proposes a method of obtaining a fast estimate of a target’s pose by modelling it as a degenerate ellipsoid or spheroid. By bounding the projection of the target with an ellipse an analytic algorithm is used to reconstruct the spheroid and hence the target pose up to the axis of symmetry. The true perspective projection (pin-hole camera model) and reconstruction of a spheroid of known size is reviewed along with the novel application of this theory to the problem of rendezvous with a target object in space. This paper also introduces an innovative method of choosing the spheroid to model the target object to incur minimum error. Results are then presented highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of this method, which are then discussed.

This paper presents a system with a personal-computer (PC)-controlled laser-diode beam to make film exposures for generating 256 gray-level images. The hardware equipment of this system includes an IBM PC, an 8255 interface card, and an XY table. Control software is developed to receive image data from commercially available software, such as PAINT SHOP, then convert them to signals for the laser diode and XY table. The gray level of each pixel (picture element) in an image file is represented by an 8-bit binary number. Two ways of control are demonstrated. One way uses this 8-bit number as a parameter for timing delay when the laser diode is on with a constant power output. The other way uses this 8-bit number to go through a D/A converter to control the laser diode for outputting beams with varying intensity. This way may gain higher operation speed, but requires extra hardware. There are two potential applications for this system. One is direct image exposure of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black for all image processing software data outputs, as long as their format is available. The other is for an educational training program to demonstrate the technologies of integrating computer, laser, and color printing.

Using photogrammetry to interpret human action on Neolithic monument boulders in Ireland's Cavan Burren

Film-less Radiology — A Future Perspective

ISSUE: Students in a history of modern architecture course receive much of their visual information through the medium of projected images in a lecture format. Additional images provided within written text present material in a preestablished order, rather than in a format that invites student participation, and may limit the students’ ability to discover comparative relationships. APPLICATION: Student–owned computers make information available at the student's choice of time and place in a format that invites student participation. GOAL: A computer file of images serves as a resource for improving instruction by providing an interactive, nonsequential study tool while encouraging students to experiment and become more familiar with computer use. DESCRIPTION: Over 150 images were scanned from slides and incorporated into a database program that could be used on a student's personal computer (Macintosh SE or better). Images can be selected and grouped by architect/designer, location, date, and words entered by students; they can be viewed with or without text; and two can be viewed simultaneously. CONCLUSION: Although most students reported using the image files, they seemed to prefer hard–copy prints. Student interest in having images included in the notes for the course resulted in the scanning and incorporating of approximately 200 images in the photocopy packet for use in a subsequent term.

A comfortable outdoor thermal environment is very important for pedestrian’s health and safety. However, in the traditional design method, usually only several typical hours are considered. Although these typical hours can be reproduced well, considering the complicated outdoor environment and the varied weather condition, the simulation result is not capable of reproducing the overall thermal condition of a season. Therefore, the concept of annual prediction is proposed. However, the calculation amount is huge so that some simplification is necessary. A simplification for wind environment simulation is proposed and a homemade CFD code is developed to fulfil the annual prediction of wind environment. Furthermore, the most time consuming radiation simulation is simplified based on the simulation system SPOTE so that the calculation time is shortened greatly so that the annul prediction is possible. To evaluate the annual outdoor thermal comfort, the concept of „best clothes insulation’ is proposed. A comfortable outdoor environment is defined as an environment in which pedestrians can reach comfortable state by adjusting the clothes insulation in a reasonable region. The best clothes insulation is defined as that can make people feel most comfortable in the specific environment. Based on this definition, some annual thermal comfort indices are proposed. A design plan of a living district is simulated and evaluated, and the results of some typical hours and the entire year are studied. The comparison shows that the results of annual prediction are more helpful for improving the design plan.

As a result of the popularity of using HyperCard® to rapidly prototype equipment and computer interfaces on Macintoshè personal computers, the need ensued to evaluate prototype usability by collecting subjects' interactive performance data in real time. Sandia National Laboratories, in collaboration with Stone Design Software, has developed ProtoTymer2, a HyperCardè stack that can time and record users' interactive sessions with prototypes developed using HyperCardè. While operating in the background, ProtoTymer records the times, locations, and targets (objects clicked) of a subject's inputs during an interactive session. At the conclusion of the session, the resultant data file can be reviewed, summarized, printed, or transferred to a spreadsheet for statistical or graphical analysis. This paper describes ProtoTymer's design approach, features, limitations, and considerations for future versions.