Nikolaos Grammalidis

Stereo image sequence coding based on three-dimensional motion estimation and compensation

Abstract A method that performs 3-D motion estimation for stereoscopic image sequences is presented. The 2-D motion of each object observed in one of the two views is modelled using a 3-D motion model involving a translation and a rotation. The estimation of model parameters is performed in two steps: a linear step involving 2-D vectors that are initially estimated using block matching techniques followed by a non-linear step involving displaced frame difference minimization. The regions where the 3-D model is applied are identified using a motion-based split and merge technique. Furthermore, an extension of the 3-D motion estimation method that uses a single 3-D motion model to describe the apparent 2-D motion in both channels is examined. These 3-D motion estimation methods are then integrated in a stereoscopic interframe coding scheme. A hybrid coder using block-based coding as a fall-back mode in cases where 3-D motion estimation fails, is proposed. Experimental results demonstrate the performance of the proposed coding scheme.

Disparity field and depth map coding for multiview image sequence compression

Methods are proposed for coding of the depth map and disparity fields for stereo or multiview image communication applications. Block-based and wireframe modeling techniques are examined for the coding of isolated depth map information and 2-D and 3-D motion compensation techniques for the coding of depth map sequences are evaluated.

Using intelligent digital cameras to monitor aerodrome surface traffic

An aircraft is most at risk for an accident when its still on the ground - when taxiing before takeoff or after landing. This is because traffic throughput on the ground is limited by inadequate airport infrastructures and is often incapacitated during conditions of poor visibility. The INTERVUSE project, funded by the European Commission, aims to address these problems by developing a cost-effective artificial intelligence system based on a network of intelligent digital cameras. The system uses image-processing techniques to detect traffic and correlates and fuses data to generate a synthetic ground-situation display.

Three-dimensional facial adaptation for MPEG-4 talking heads

This paper studies a new method for three-dimensional (3D) facial model adaptation and its integration into a text-to-speech (TTS) system. The 3D facial adaptation requires a set of two orthogonal views of the user′s face with a number of feature points located on both views. Based on the correspondences of the feature points′ positions, a generic face model is deformed nonrigidly treating every facial part as a separate entity. A cylindrical texture map is then built from the two image views. The generated head models are compared to corresponding models obtained by the commonly used adaptation method that utilizes 3D radial bases functions. The generated 3D models are integrated into a talking head system, which consists of two distinct parts: a multilingual text to speech sub-system and an MPEG-4 compliant facial animation sub-system. Support for the Greek language has been added, while preserving lip and speech synchronization.

Video and Signal Based Surveillance for Airport Applications

In this paper a comparative study of three ground traffic surveillance systems for airports based on different sensing technologies is presented. The first two solutions are based on video-based surveillance, while the third one is based on signal-based surveillance. More specifically, the first solution employs a network of smart cameras, whereas the second utilizes multiple autonomous tracking units to capture and process images from one or more pre-calibrated cameras. The third solution is based on a novel magnetic sensing technology, which detects ferromagnetic objects such as vehicle motors, aircraft engines and landing gears through their deformation of the earth’s magnetic field. Evaluation and analysis of the performance of these systems, based on real test results in different European airports are presented. The proposed systems are flexible, scalable and suitable for a broad field of monitoring and surveillance applications.

A Multimodal Approach for the Safeguarding and Transmission of Intangible Cultural Heritage: The Case of i-Treasures

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) creations include, amongst other, music, dance, singing, theatre, human skills, and craftsmanship. These cultural expressions are usually transmitted orally and/or using gestures and are modified over a period of time, through a process of collective recreation. As the world becomes more interconnected and many different cultures come into contact, local communities run the risk of losing important elements of their ICH, while young people find it difficult to maintain the connection with the cultural heritage treasured by their elders. In this paper, we present a novel holistic approach for the safeguarding and transmission of ICH that goes beyond the mere digitization of ICH content. Based on multisensory technology for the capturing of ICH, the proposed approach enables the generation of completely novel cultural content. High-level semantics are extracted from the acquired data, enabling researchers to identify possible implicit or hidden correlations between different ICH expressions or interpretation styles and study the evolution of a specific ICH. These data, coupled with other cultural resources, are accessible through the i-Treasures Web-platform, which provides the means for supporting knowledge exchange between researchers as well as know-how transmission from ICH bearers to apprentices.

On Supporting Parkinson's Disease Patients: The i-Prognosis Personalized Game Suite Design Approach

The use of serious games in health care interventions sector has grown rapidly in the last years, however, there is still a gap in the understanding on how these types of interventions are used for the management of the Parkinson Disease (PD), in particular. Targeting intelligent early detection and intervention in PD area, the Personalized Game Suite (PGS) design process approach is presented as part of the H2020 i-PROGNOSIS project that introduces the integration of different serious games in a unified platform (i.e., ExerGames, DietaryGames, EmoGames, and Handwriting/Voice Games). From the methodological point of view, to facilitate the visualization of 14 game-scenarios, the system interface and the PD contexts, the storyboarding technique was adopted here. Overall, the realization of the PGS sets the basis for establishing a holistic framework that could aim at improving motor and non-motor symptoms, in order to inform health care providers and policy makers for its inclusion in routine management for PD.

Serious games as a means for holistically supporting Parkinson's Disease patients: The i-PROGNOSIS personalized game suite framework

Parkinsons Disease (PD) is a well-known progressive and neurodegenerative disorder, resulting in motor and non-motor symptoms that significantly reduce the quality of life. Motivated by the increased adoption of serious games in health care interventions sector in the last years, an unobtrusive approach is explored here, realised via the i-PROGNOSIS interventions platform (www.i-prognosis.eu), consisting of a game-based suite. In this way, targeting intelligent early detection and intervention in PD area, the Personalised Game Suite (PGS) design approach is presented, integrating different serious games in a unified platform. Overall, this comprehensive review gives an overview of studies examining motor and non-motor symptoms for PD along with the PGS design approach, in order to inform researchers and game designers for its consideration in the self-management of PD.