As virtual reality and interaction possibilities in game technology evolve and become more user-friendly, accessible and cheaper, this technology suddenly gets useful in occupational areas that traditionally have not used them, one being urban planning. By using a game engine and a virtual neighborhood that utilizes procedural generation the user has the option of having a cost-effective, replicable environment with great control from the user.  According to the Broken Windows Theory small differences in appearance can have a big impact on how an urban neighborhood will be perceived. Therefore it would be interesting to investigate how the perception of street scenes is affected by the different aesthetic properties of dirt, graffiti, broken windows, building height and greenery (trees and bushes). By implementing a virtual neighborhood that utilizes procedural generation the basic structure of the neighborhood can stay the same, while separately adjusting the specific properties that are being evaluated. Through surveys and interviews the results show that every one of the chosen properties are very significant except for building height. Generally the more trees that were present, the more safe the neighborhood felt, and the order of significance of dirt, graffiti and broken windows differed between the two evaluation methods. / Då virtual reality och interaktionsmöjligheterna inom spelteknologi utvecklas och blir mer användarvänliga, mer tillgängliga och billigare, blir denna teknik plötsligt användbar inom yrkesområden som traditionellt sett inte har använt dem, där ett exempel är stadsplanering. Genom att använda en spelmotor och en virtuell stadsdel som utnyttjar procedural generation får användaren en kostnadseffektiv, replikerbar miljö med stor kontroll från användaren. Enligt Broken Windows Theory så kan små skillnader i utseende ha en stor inverkan på hur en stadsdel kommer att uppfattas. Därför vore det intressant att undersöka hur synen på virtuella gatscener påverkas av olika estetiska egenskaper som smuts, graffiti, trasiga fönster, bygghöjd, och grönska (träd och buskar). Genom att implementera en virtuell stadsdel som utnyttjar procedural generation kan grundstrukturen vara densamma, medan man separat justerar de specifika egenskaperna som ska utvärderas. Genom enkäter och intervjuer visar resultaten att var och en av de valda egenskaperna är mycket betydande, med undantaget för byggnadshöjd. Generellt så kändes stadsdelen mer säker desto mer träd som fanns, och ordningen av signifikansen för smuts, graffiti, och trasiga fönster skiljde sig mellan enkäterna och intervjuerna.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第18966号 / 工博第4008号 / 新制||工||1617(附属図書館) / 31917 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科都市社会工学専攻 / (主査)教授 小池 克明, 教授 石田 毅, 准教授 水戸 義忠 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第18969号 / 工博第4011号 / 新制||工||1618(附属図書館) / 31920 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科都市社会工学専攻 / (主査)教授 小池 克明, 教授 松岡 俊文, 教授 田村 正行 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

Recent research makes use of biologically inspired computation and artificial intelligence as efficient means to solve real-world problems. Humans show a significant performance in extracting and interpreting visual information. In the cases where visual data is not available, or, for example, if it fails to provide comprehensive information due to occlusions, tactile exploration assists in the interpretation and better understanding of the environment. This cooperation between human senses can serve as an inspiration to embed a higher level of intelligence in computational models. In the context of this research, in the first step, computational models of visual attention are explored to determine salient regions on the surface of objects. Two different approaches are proposed. The first approach takes advantage of a series of contributing features in guiding human visual attention, namely color, contrast, curvature, edge, entropy, intensity, orientation, and symmetry are efficiently integrated to identify salient features on the surface of 3D objects. This model of visual attention also learns to adaptively weight each feature based on ground-truth data to ensure a better compatibility with human visual exploration capabilities. The second approach uses a deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for feature extraction from images collected from 3D objects and formulates saliency as a fusion map of regions where the CNN looks at, while classifying the object based on their geometrical and semantic characteristics. The main difference between the outcomes of the two algorithms is that the first approach results in saliencies spread over the surface of the objects while the second approach highlights one or two regions with concentrated saliency. Therefore, the first approach is an appropriate simulation of visual exploration of objects, while the second approach successfully simulates the eye fixation locations on objects. In the second step, the first computational model of visual attention is used to determine scattered salient points on the surface of objects based on which simplified versions of 3D object models preserving the important visual characteristics of objects are constructed. Subsequently, the thesis focuses on the topic of tactile object recognition, leveraging the proposed model of visual attention. Beyond the sensor technologies which are instrumental in ensuring data quality, biological models can also assist in guiding the placement of sensors and support various selective data sampling strategies that allow exploring an object’s surface faster. Therefore, the possibility to guide the acquisition of tactile data based on the identified visually salient features is tested and validated in this research. Different object exploration and data processing approaches were used to identify the most promising solution. Our experiments confirm the effectiveness of computational models of visual attention as a guide for data selection for both simplifying 3D representation of objects as well as enhancing tactile object recognition. In particular, the current research demonstrates that: (1) the simplified representation of objects by preserving visually salient characteristics shows a better compatibility with human visual capabilities compared to uniformly simplified models, and (2) tactile data acquired based on salient visual features are more informative about the objects’ characteristics and can be employed in tactile object manipulation and recognition scenarios. In the last section, the thesis addresses the issue of transfer of learning from vision to touch. Inspired from biological studies that attest similarities between the processing of visual and tactile stimuli in human brain, the thesis studies the possibility of transfer of learning from vision to touch using deep learning architectures and proposes a hybrid CNN that handles both visual and tactile object recognition.

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[pt] A estabilidade de encostas constituídas por solos residuais não saturados sofre grande influência das variações das condições de fluxo locais, uma vez que, em muitos casos, grande parte de sua resistência ao cisalhamento é conferida pela coesão aparente acarretada pelo fenômeno de sucção. Sabendo disso, o presente trabalho avaliou, através de análises de estabilidade e de fluxo realizadas em modelos bi e tridimensionais, a possibilidade de se criar um modelo onde o resultado final de estabilidade independa da distribuição de sucção inicial. As análises e modelagens de fluxo e estabilidade foram executadas com auxílio dos softwares SVDesigner, SVSlope e SVFlux-GE integrantes do pacote SVoffice, desenvolvido pela SoilVision. Buscou-se quantificar a influência da distribuição da sucção inicial nos casos estudados. Os parâmetros de solo utilizados como dados de entrada nos modelos derivaram de estudos desenvolvidos por de Oliveira (2013) sobre os mecanismos de ruptura de movimentos de massa que ocorreram em Nova Friburgo durante o megadesastre que ocorreu na Região Serrana do Rio de Janeiro em 2011, e os dados climáticos advieram de registros contemporâneos e pretéritos ao evento. Nos modelos 2D foi possível, ao se considerar aproximadamente oito meses de dados climáticos, que diferentes condições iniciais de sucção homogêneas convergissem para um resultado único de estabilidade. Nas modelagens também foi observado que o comportamento do fluxo diferiu entre os modelos 2D e 3D o que teve um significativo impacto em suas análises de estabilidade. / [en] The stability of slopes consisting of unsaturated residual soils is strongly influenced by variations in local flow conditions, since in many cases much of their shear strength is conferred by the apparent cohesion caused by the suction phenomenon. With this in mind, the present study evaluated the possibility of creating a model where the final stability result is independent of the initial suction distribution through stability and flow analyzes performed in two and three-dimensional models. Flow and stability analyzes and modeling were performed using the SVDesigner, SVSlope and SVFlux-GE software components of the SVoffice package developed by SoilVision. It was tried to quantify the influence of the initial suction distribution in the cases studied. The soil parameters used as input data in the models were derived from studies developed by de Oliveira (2013) on the mechanisms of rupture of the mass movements that occurred in Nova Friburgo during the disaster that occurred in the Serrana Region of Rio de Janeiro in 2011, and the climatic data came from records in the region during and before the event. In the 2D models, it was possible, considering approximately eight months of climatic data, that different initial homogeneous suction conditions converged to a single stability result. It was also observed that the flow behavior differed between the 2D and 3D models, which had a significant impact on their stability analyzes.

My most recent body of work explores the synthesis of my influences, interests and life experiences into imagery of common themes: The expression of dynamic figures and forms and colors in digital 3d space, cinematic composition, and vibrant color, expressed through a semblance of Aztec culture and wildlife. My sculptures of nature and ancient culture are created using contemporary digital art creation technologies and techniques. I examine the art and religion of the Aztecs and the universal search for understanding and purpose in the world and the forces around and beyond us.

Assigned sex estimation via the greater sciatic notch (GSN) is traditionally performed via physical/visual examination and ordinal scoring; however, this relies on the subjective assessment of morphology for typological classification which may not be reflective of human variation. Three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetry may offer a technologically advanced, low cost, and more objective alternative to assess the complex curvature of anatomical landmarks. This research explores the accuracy of photogrammetry derived 3D models by comparing digital measurements to those obtained from the skeletal elements and to streamline the application of curvature analysis for the estimation of assigned sex from the GSN. This study utilizes the left and right os coxae from 15 skeletal individuals (5 females, 10 males) from the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. A Fujifilm X-Pro2 and Fujifilm 35 mm prime lens captured 123 images per element, which were processed in Meshroom by AliceVision® to create a 3D textured mesh. The mesh was exported into Blender for cleanup, scaling, measurement, and curvature analysis. The measurements were between 96.54% and 99.94% consistent across methods and observations. The consistency between digital metric observations increased by an average of 0.07% when compared to the consistency of the dry bone measurements. Additionally, curvature analysis of the GSN correctly estimated the assigned sex of all os coxae in the sample. This study demonstrates that photogrammetry is an accurate and reliable method for the digitization of remains that enables analytical techniques to better capture skeletal variation compared to traditional methods.

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