1. Roushain Akhter. Perceived Image Quality Assessment for Stereoscopic Vision. Master's thesis, Department of Computer Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, May 2011. Abstract:

   This thesis describes an automatic evaluation approach for estimating the quality of stereo displays and vision systems using image features. The method is inspired by the human visual system. Display of stereo images is widely used to enhance the viewing experience of three-dimensional (3D) visual displays and communication systems. Applications are numerous and range from entertainment to more specialized applications such as: 3D visualization and broadcasting, robot tele-operation, object recognition, body exploration, 3D teleconferencing, and therapeutic purposes. Consequently, perceived image quality is important for assessing the performance of 3D imaging applications. There is no doubt that subjective testing (i.e., asking human viewers to rank the quality of stereo images) is the most accurate method for quality evaluation. It reflects true human perception. However, these assessments are time consuming and expensive. Furthermore, they cannot be done in real time. Therefore, the goal of this research is to develop an objective quality evaluation methods (computational models that can automatically predict perceived image quality) correlating well with subjective predictions that are required in the field of quality assessment. I believe that the perceived distortion and disparity of any stereoscopic display are strongly dependent on local features, such as edge (non-uniform) and non-edge (uniform) areas. Therefore, in this research, I propose a No-Reference (NR) objective quality assessment for coded stereoscopic images based on segmented local features of artifacts and disparity. Local feature information such as edge and non-edge area based relative disparity estimation, as well as the blockiness, blur, and the zero-crossing within the block of images, are evaluated in this method. A block-based edge dissimilarity approach is used for disparity estimation. I use the Toyama stereo images database to evaluate the performance and to compare it with other approaches both qualitatively and quantitatively.

   
   

   @mastersthesis{AkhterThesis,
   author = {Roushain Akhter},
   title = {Perceived Image Quality Assessment for Stereoscopic Vision},
   school = {Department of Computer Science, University of Manitoba},
   year = {2011},
   address = {Winnipeg, Canada},
   month = {May},
   abstract = {This thesis describes an automatic evaluation approach for estimating the quality of stereo displays and vision systems using image features. The method is inspired by the human visual system. Display of stereo images is widely used to enhance the viewing experience of three-dimensional (3D) visual displays and communication systems. Applications are numerous and range from entertainment to more specialized applications such as: 3D visualization and broadcasting, robot tele-operation, object recognition, body exploration, 3D teleconferencing, and therapeutic purposes. Consequently, perceived image quality is important for assessing the performance of 3D imaging applications. There is no doubt that subjective testing (i.e., asking human viewers to rank the quality of stereo images) is the most accurate method for quality evaluation. It reflects true human perception. However, these assessments are time consuming and expensive. Furthermore, they cannot be done in real time. Therefore, the goal of this research is to develop an objective quality evaluation methods (computational models that can automatically predict perceived image quality) correlating well with subjective predictions that are required in the field of quality assessment. I believe that the perceived distortion and disparity of any stereoscopic display are strongly dependent on local features, such as edge (non-uniform) and non-edge (uniform) areas. Therefore, in this research, I propose a No-Reference (NR) objective quality assessment for coded stereoscopic images based on segmented local features of artifacts and disparity. Local feature information such as edge and non-edge area based relative disparity estimation, as well as the blockiness, blur, and the zero-crossing within the block of images, are evaluated in this method. A block-based edge dissimilarity approach is used for disparity estimation. I use the Toyama stereo images database to evaluate the performance and to compare it with other approaches both qualitatively and quantitatively.},
   pdf = {http://aalab.cs.umanitoba.ca/%7eandersj/Publications/pdf/RoushainAkhterMSc.pdf} 
   }
   




2. Tyler Gunn. Dynamic Heterogeneous Team Formation for Robotic Urban Search and Rescue. Master's thesis, Department of Computer Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, December 2011. Abstract:

   Using teams of robots to complete a task provides a number of advantages over the use of a single robot. Multiple robots are able to complete tasks faster, and provide redundancy in case of equipment failure or loss. Teams of robots with different capabilities and physiologies are benecial because they allow a team to provide a high level of overall functionality while striking a balance between the cost and complexity of the robots. Previous work tends to focus on the use of pre-formed teams of robots,with little attention to the formation and maintenance of the team itself. An environment such as a disaster zone presents numerous challenges to robotic operation, and it can be expected that the nature of a team will change due to, for example, malfunctions and the introduction of replacement equipment. I developed a framework to support the maintenance of teams of heterogeneous robots operating in complex and dynamic environments such as disaster zones. Given an established team, my work also facilitates the discovery of work to be done during the team's mission and its subsequent assignment to members of the team in a distributed fashion. I evaluated my framework through the development of an example implementation where robots perform exploration in order to locate victims in a simulated disaster environment.

   
   

   @mastersthesis{GunnThesis,
   author = {Tyler Gunn},
   title = {Dynamic Heterogeneous Team Formation for Robotic Urban Search and Rescue},
   school = {Department of Computer Science, University of Manitoba},
   year = {2011},
   address = {Winnipeg, Canada},
   month = {December},
   abstract = {Using teams of robots to complete a task provides a number of advantages over the use of a single robot. Multiple robots are able to complete tasks faster, and provide redundancy in case of equipment failure or loss. Teams of robots with different capabilities and physiologies are benecial because they allow a team to provide a high level of overall functionality while striking a balance between the cost and complexity of the robots. Previous work tends to focus on the use of pre-formed teams of robots,with little attention to the formation and maintenance of the team itself. An environment such as a disaster zone presents numerous challenges to robotic operation, and it can be expected that the nature of a team will change due to, for example, malfunctions and the introduction of replacement equipment. I developed a framework to support the maintenance of teams of heterogeneous robots operating in complex and dynamic environments such as disaster zones. Given an established team, my work also facilitates the discovery of work to be done during the team's mission and its subsequent assignment to members of the team in a distributed fashion. I evaluated my framework through the development of an example implementation where robots perform exploration in order to locate victims in a simulated disaster environment.},
   pdf = {http://aalab.cs.umanitoba.ca/%7eandersj/Publications/pdf/GunnMScThesis.pdf} 
   }
   

1. John Anderson, Jacky Baltes, and Chi Tai Cheng. Robotics competitions as benchmarks for AI research. The Knowledge Engineering Review, 26(1):11-17, 2011. Abstract:

   In the last two decades various intelligent robotics competitions have become very popular. Arguably the most well-known of these are the robotic soccer competitions. In addition to their value in attracting media and capturing the minds of the general public, these competitions also provide benchmark problems for various robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. As with any benchmark, care must be taken that the benchmark does not introduce unwarranted biases. This paper critically evaluates the AI contributions made by various robotic competitions on AI research.

   
   

   @article{RoboticCompetitionsBenchmarks,
   author = {John Anderson and Jacky Baltes and Chi Tai Cheng},
   title = {Robotics competitions as benchmarks for AI research},
   journal = {The Knowledge Engineering Review},
   year = {2011},
   volume = {26},
   number = {1},
   pages = {11--17},
   pdf = {http://aalab.cs.umanitoba.ca/%7eandersj/Publications/pdf/KERCompetitions.pdf},
   abstract = {In the last two decades various intelligent robotics competitions have become very popular. Arguably the most well-known of these are the robotic soccer competitions. In addition to their value in attracting media and capturing the minds of the general public, these competitions also provide benchmark problems for various robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. As with any benchmark, care must be taken that the benchmark does not introduce unwarranted biases. This paper critically evaluates the AI contributions made by various robotic competitions on AI research.} 
   }
   




2. Brian McKinnon, Chi Tai Cheng, John Anderson, and Jacky Baltes. Point, Line Segment, and Region-Based Stereo Matching for Mobile Robotics. International Journal of Automation Austria, 18:7-42, 2011. Abstract:

   At the heart of every stereo vision algorithm is a solution to the matching problem - the problem of finding points in the right and left image that correspond to a single point in the real world. Applying assumptions regarding the epipolar rectification and color similarity between two frames is often not possible for real-world image capture systems, like those used rescue robots. More flexible and robust feature descriptors are necessary to operate under harsh real world conditions. This paper compares the accuracy of disparity images generated using local features including points, line segments, and regions, as well as a global framework implemented using loopy belief propagation. This paper will introduce two new algorithms for stereo matching using line segments and regions, as well as several support structures that optimize the algorithms performance and accuracy. Since few complete frameworks exist for line segment and region features, new algorithms that were developed during the research for this paper will be outlined and evaluated. The comparison includes quantitative evaluation using the Middlebury stereo image pairs and qualitative evaluation using images from a less structured environment. Since this evaluation is grounded in practical environments, processing time is a significant constraint which will be evaluated for each algorithm. This paper will show that line segment-based stereo vision with a gradient descriptor achieves at least a 10% better accuracy than all other methods used in this evaluation while maintaining the low runtime associated with local feature based stereo vision.

   
   

   @article{StereoMatchingIJAA11,
   author = {Brian McKinnon and Chi Tai Cheng and John Anderson and Jacky Baltes},
   title = {Point, Line Segment, and Region-Based Stereo Matching for Mobile Robotics},
   journal = {International Journal of Automation Austria},
   year = {2011},
   volume = {18},
   pages = {7--42},
   pdf = {http://aalab.cs.umanitoba.ca/%7eandersj/Publications/pdf/ijaa_baltes.pdf},
   abstract = {At the heart of every stereo vision algorithm is a solution to the matching problem - the problem of finding points in the right and left image that correspond to a single point in the real world. Applying assumptions regarding the epipolar rectification and color similarity between two frames is often not possible for real-world image capture systems, like those used rescue robots. More flexible and robust feature descriptors are necessary to operate under harsh real world conditions. This paper compares the accuracy of disparity images generated using local features including points, line segments, and regions, as well as a global framework implemented using loopy belief propagation. This paper will introduce two new algorithms for stereo matching using line segments and regions, as well as several support structures that optimize the algorithms performance and accuracy. Since few complete frameworks exist for line segment and region features, new algorithms that were developed during the research for this paper will be outlined and evaluated. The comparison includes quantitative evaluation using the Middlebury stereo image pairs and qualitative evaluation using images from a less structured environment. Since this evaluation is grounded in practical environments, processing time is a significant constraint which will be evaluated for each algorithm. This paper will show that line segment-based stereo vision with a gradient descriptor achieves at least a 10% better accuracy than all other methods used in this evaluation while maintaining the low runtime associated with local feature based stereo vision. } 
   }
   

1. Jacky Baltes, Chi Tai Cheng, Jonathan Bagot, and John Anderson. Vision-Based Obstacle Run for Teams of Humanoid Robots (Demonstrated System). In Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems (AAMAS-2011), Taipei, Taiwan, pages 1319-1320, May 2011. Abstract:

   This demonstration shows a team of small humanoid robots traverse an environment through a set of obstacles. The robots' brain are implemented using mobile phones for vision, balance, and processing. The robots use particle filters to localize themselves and to map the environment. A frontier-based exploration algorithm is used to direct the robots to overcome obstacles and to explore all regions of the environment.

   
   

   @inproceedings{MASlamDemoAAMAS11,
   author = {Jacky Baltes and Chi Tai Cheng and Jonathan Bagot and John Anderson},
   title = {Vision-Based Obstacle Run for Teams of Humanoid Robots (Demonstrated System)},
   booktitle = {Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems (AAMAS-2011)},
   address = {Taipei, Taiwan},
   month = {May},
   pages = {1319-1320},
   pdf = {http://aalab.cs.umanitoba.ca/%7eandersj/Publications/pdf/AAMAS11multiagent_slam_demo.pdf},
   year = {2011},
   abstract = {This demonstration shows a team of small humanoid robots traverse an environment through a set of obstacles. The robots' brain are implemented using mobile phones for vision, balance, and processing. The robots use particle filters to localize themselves and to map the environment. A frontier-based exploration algorithm is used to direct the robots to overcome obstacles and to explore all regions of the environment.} 
   }
   




2. Jacky Baltes, Chi Tai Cheng, Meng Cheng Lau, and John Anderson. Cost Oriented Automation Approach to Upper Body Humanoid Robot. In Proceedings of the 18th IFAC World Congress, Milan, September 2011. Abstract:

   To develop an efficient robotic system is always a challenge, in particular if the cost of the system is also an important factor. This paper presents an overview of development of our 10 degree of freedom humanoid, Betty. Reducing the cost of the system requires optimization of all aspects to retain its flexibility, reliability and performance at minimum cost. During the design and development of Betty, we only use low cost hardware and open source software to address both cost and performance issues. We develop a real-time kernel optimized to control servo positions and read back servo data. Parameters of this kernel are controlled by a PID controller resulting in an adaptive real-time kernel. After solving the forward and inverse kinematics of our robot, we implemented portrait drawing as a sample application showing the performance of our system.

   
   

   @inproceedings{costHumanoidIFAC11,
   author = {Jacky Baltes and Chi Tai Cheng and Meng Cheng Lau and John Anderson},
   title = {Cost Oriented Automation Approach to Upper Body Humanoid Robot},
   booktitle = {Proceedings of the 18th IFAC World Congress},
   address = {Milan},
   month = {September},
   pdf = {http://aalab.cs.umanitoba.ca/%7eandersj/Publications/pdf/ifacconf_lau.pdf},
   year = {2011},
   abstract = {To develop an efficient robotic system is always a challenge, in particular if the cost of the system is also an important factor. This paper presents an overview of development of our 10 degree of freedom humanoid, Betty. Reducing the cost of the system requires optimization of all aspects to retain its flexibility, reliability and performance at minimum cost. During the design and development of Betty, we only use low cost hardware and open source software to address both cost and performance issues. We develop a real-time kernel optimized to control servo positions and read back servo data. Parameters of this kernel are controlled by a PID controller resulting in an adaptive real-time kernel. After solving the forward and inverse kinematics of our robot, we implemented portrait drawing as a sample application showing the performance of our system.} 
   }
   




3. Jacky Baltes, Chris Iverach-Brereton, Chi Tai Cheng, and John Anderson. Threaded C and FreezerOS. In Proceedings of FIRA 2011, CCIS 212, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, pages 170-177, August 2011. Abstract:

   Threaded C is a meta-language that is based on C, but is annotated with thread, monitor thread, and semaphore markup. Threaded C uses the runtime provided by the Freezer OS, a small, memory-efficient embedded kernel. The combination of Freezer OS and Threaded C allows the simple expression of common control problems in robotics. The system is geared especially towards robotics education, as it matches the mental map that children have of how control structures should work.

   
   

   @inproceedings{ThreadedCandFreezerOS,
   author = {Jacky Baltes and Chris Iverach-Brereton and Chi Tai Cheng and John Anderson},
   title = {Threaded C and FreezerOS},
   booktitle = {Proceedings of FIRA 2011, CCIS 212},
   address = {Kaohsiung, Taiwan},
   year = {2011},
   month = {August},
   pages = {170--177},
   abstract = {Threaded C is a meta-language that is based on C, but is annotated with thread, monitor thread, and semaphore markup. Threaded C uses the runtime provided by the Freezer OS, a small, memory-efficient embedded kernel. The combination of Freezer OS and Threaded C allows the simple expression of common control problems in robotics. The system is geared especially towards robotics education, as it matches the mental map that children have of how control structures should work.},
   pdf = {http://aalab.cs.umanitoba.ca/%7eandersj/Publications/pdf/ThreadedCandFreezerOS.pdf} 
   }
   




4. Jacky Baltes, Stela Seo, Chi Tai Cheng, Meng Cheng Lau, and John Anderson. Learning of Facial Gestures Using SVMs. In Proceedings of FIRA 2011, CCIS 212, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, pages 147-154, August 2011. Abstract:

   This paper describes the implementation of a fast and accurate gesture recognition system. Image sequences are used to train a standard SVM to recognize Yes, No, and Neutral gestures from different users. We show that our system is able to detect facial gestures with more than 80% accuracy from even small input images.

   
   

   @inproceedings{LearningFacialGestures,
   author = {Jacky Baltes and Stela Seo and Chi Tai Cheng and Meng Cheng Lau and John Anderson},
   title = {Learning of Facial Gestures Using SVMs},
   booktitle = {Proceedings of FIRA 2011, CCIS 212},
   address = {Kaohsiung, Taiwan},
   year = {2011},
   month = {August},
   pages = {147-154},
   abstract = {This paper describes the implementation of a fast and accurate gesture recognition system. Image sequences are used to train a standard SVM to recognize Yes, No, and Neutral gestures from different users. We show that our system is able to detect facial gestures with more than 80% accuracy from even small input images.},
   pdf = {http://aalab.cs.umanitoba.ca/%7eandersj/Publications/pdf/LearningFacialGestures.pdf} 
   }
   




5. Michael de Denus, John Anderson, and Jacky Baltes. Flexible Multi-Robot Formation Control: Partial Formations as Physical Data Structures. In Dylan Shell and James McLurkin, editors, Proceedings of the AAAI Spring Symposium on Multirobot Systems and Physical Data Structures, Stanford, CA, pages 4-9, March 2011. Abstract:

   Formations are often seen in nature, and bring many benefits for the group as a whole. They can allow a group to explore a large area more effectively, can ease movement of the group through the environment, and can increase group perceptual coverage and increase defensive capabilities, for example. The benefits of any particular formation vary and are obtained from the structure the formation provides. Robotic formations can have similar applications. To date, the techniques used and formations employed in robotic applications are significantly simpler than those seen in nature. Current techniques often require some level of global knowledge, central processing or other unrealistic assumptions. We seek to develop a formation control technique that has as few of these limitations as possible. Each agent under our approach has only local knowledge of the environment, uses no broadcast communication, and can communicate only over a limited range. Formations are achieved by organizing agents into a graph structure, where agents occupying the vertices take on the role of maintaining an appropriate number of agents on each edge, thus preserving the formation's shape and scale. We do not assume a known or static population: the evolving formation acts as a physical data structure to assist in placing and rearranging agents as the population changes. This approach does not require a global coordinate system, fixed positions within the formation, or any single lead agent. All agents within our approach are peers, and any can adopt any role within the formation.

   
   

   @inproceedings{deDenusAAAISS11,
   author = {Michael de Denus and John Anderson and Jacky Baltes},
   title = {Flexible Multi-Robot Formation Control: Partial Formations as Physical Data Structures},
   booktitle = {Proceedings of the AAAI Spring Symposium on Multirobot Systems and Physical Data Structures},
   editors = {Dylan Shell and James McLurkin},
   address = {Stanford, CA},
   month = {March},
   pages = {4--9},
   pdf = {http://aalab.cs.umanitoba.ca/%7eandersj/Publications/pdf/deDenusSS11.pdf},
   year = {2011},
   abstract = {Formations are often seen in nature, and bring many benefits for the group as a whole. They can allow a group to explore a large area more effectively, can ease movement of the group through the environment, and can increase group perceptual coverage and increase defensive capabilities, for example. The benefits of any particular formation vary and are obtained from the structure the formation provides. Robotic formations can have similar applications. To date, the techniques used and formations employed in robotic applications are significantly simpler than those seen in nature. Current techniques often require some level of global knowledge, central processing or other unrealistic assumptions. We seek to develop a formation control technique that has as few of these limitations as possible. Each agent under our approach has only local knowledge of the environment, uses no broadcast communication, and can communicate only over a limited range. Formations are achieved by organizing agents into a graph structure, where agents occupying the vertices take on the role of maintaining an appropriate number of agents on each edge, thus preserving the formation's shape and scale. We do not assume a known or static population: the evolving formation acts as a physical data structure to assist in placing and rearranging agents as the population changes. This approach does not require a global coordinate system, fixed positions within the formation, or any single lead agent. All agents within our approach are peers, and any can adopt any role within the formation.} 
   }
   

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