Understanding and explaining perception of touch is a non-trivial task. Even seemingly trivial differences in exploration may potentially have a significant impact on perception and levels of discrimination. In this study, we explore different aspects of contact related to stiffness perception and their effects on the just noticeable difference (JND) of stiffness are surveyed. An experiment has been performed on non-deformable, compliant objects in a virtual environment with three different types of contact: Discontinuous pressure, continuous pressure and continuous lateral motion. The result shows a significantly better discrimination performance in the case of continuous pressure (a special case of nonlinearity), which can be explained by the concept of haptic memory. Moreover, it is found that the perception is worse for the changes that occur along the lateral axis than the normal axis.

Numerous studies have considered the ability of humans to perceive differences in forces and how this affects our ability to interpret the properties of materials. Previous research has not considered the effect of the rate of change of the material stiffness in our ability to perceive differences, however, an important factor in exploration processes such as a doctor’s palpation of the skin to examine tissues beneath. These effects are the topic of this research which attempts to quantify the effects of stiffness gradient magnitude and form on the discernment of changes in stiffness.

¡§Mura¡¨ is a local lightness variation without a clear contour on a uniform surface image, which imparts an unpleasant sensation to human vision. In this study, a Haar wavelet transform (WT) method is proposed to detect the mura of the polarizer. Because of the WT capability of multi-resolution analysis for digital images, the difference of gray level between neighbor pixels in different scale of an image can be analyzed by the WT high frequency coefficient. As a result, different size muras at different location can be segmented. Because the Haar WT cannot extract all the high frequency coefficient from an image at one time, the original image is decomposed into an main image and a subimage at the beginning. The applying the WT technique to extract all the high frequency coefficients from these two images. There exist three types of mura consisting of line mura, band mura, and area mura. Experiments were extensively conducted on different frequencies and sizes of these muras. Experimental results show that the presented approach is able to detect all the line muras, but some band and area muras. The result of this study can be extended to the future researches regarding mura properties and detection methods.

The aim of this thesis is to link perceived image quality to physical display parameters. This is done in the context of automotive displays. Specialities of automotive display applications like high ambient lighting conditions and the necessity to access information quickly are explained. A summary of readability models relevant to automotive applications is given and the difference between readability and perceived image quality is explained. The methodology chosen to investigate perceived image quality is the Image-Quality-Circle framework by Engeldrum (2000). Engeldrum states that observers form their image quality rating by weighting the visual attributes they perceive. Visual algorithms, which can be investigated via psychometric scaling, link visual attributes to the underlying physical image parameters which are typically measure by physical instruments. The visual attributes investigated in this thesis are perceived contrast, brightness, blackness and colourfulness. Perceived contrast, brightness and blackness are derived from display luminance via the DICOM just noticeable difference (JND) scale. Colourfulness is scaled based colour gamut in the CIE1931 chromaticity diagram. It was shown that image quality rating rises with growing perceived contrast; the limiting factors are glare and perceived blackness. In colourfulness scaling a linear relationship between colour gamut and colourfulness rating was demonstrated. Higher colourfulness can compensate lower brightness in perceived image quality.

The study of haptics, or the sense of touch in virtual reality environments, is constantly looking for improvements in modeling with a high fidelity. Highly detailed models are desirable, but they often lead to slow processing times, which can mean a loss of fidelity in the force feedback sensations. Model compression techniques are critical to balancing model detail and processing time. One of the proposed compression techniques is to create multiple models of the same object but with different levels of detail (LOD) for each model. The technique hypothesizes that the human arm loses sensitivity to forces with the increase of its movement speed. This the compression technique determines which model to use based on the user's movement speed. This dissertation examines studies how the movement speed of the user affects the user's ability to sense changes in details of haptic models. Experiments are conducted using different haptic surfaces. Their levels of detail are changed while the subject interacts with them to mimic the effects of a multiresolution compression implementation. The tests focus on the subjects' ability to differentiate changes of the surfaces at each speed. The first experiment uses curved surfaces with multiple resolutions. This test observes the sensitivity of the user when the details on the surface are small. The results show that the subjects are more sensitive to changes of small details at a lower speed than higher speed. The second experiment measures sensitivity to larger features by using trapezoidal surfaces with different angles. The trapezoidal surfaces can be seen as a low-resolution haptic model with only two vertices, and changing the angles of the trapezoids is seen as changing the radii of curvature. With the same speed settings from the first experiment applied to the subjects, the sensitivity for changes in curvature is predicted to decrease with the increase of speed. However, the results of this experiment proved otherwise. The conclusions suggest that multiresolution designs are not a straightforward reduction of LOD, even though the movement speed does affect haptic sensitivity. The model's geometry should be taken into account when designing the parameters for haptic model compression. The results from the experiments provide insights to future haptic multiresolution compression designs.

The study of haptics, or the sense of touch in virtual reality environments, is constantly looking for improvements in modeling with a high fidelity. Highly detailed models are desirable, but they often lead to slow processing times, which can mean a loss of fidelity in the force feedback sensations. Model compression techniques are critical to balancing model detail and processing time. One of the proposed compression techniques is to create multiple models of the same object but with different levels of detail (LOD) for each model. The technique hypothesizes that the human arm loses sensitivity to forces with the increase of its movement speed. This the compression technique determines which model to use based on the user's movement speed. This dissertation examines studies how the movement speed of the user affects the user's ability to sense changes in details of haptic models. Experiments are conducted using different haptic surfaces. Their levels of detail are changed while the subject interacts with them to mimic the effects of a multiresolution compression implementation. The tests focus on the subjects' ability to differentiate changes of the surfaces at each speed. The first experiment uses curved surfaces with multiple resolutions. This test observes the sensitivity of the user when the details on the surface are small. The results show that the subjects are more sensitive to changes of small details at a lower speed than higher speed. The second experiment measures sensitivity to larger features by using trapezoidal surfaces with different angles. The trapezoidal surfaces can be seen as a low-resolution haptic model with only two vertices, and changing the angles of the trapezoids is seen as changing the radii of curvature. With the same speed settings from the first experiment applied to the subjects, the sensitivity for changes in curvature is predicted to decrease with the increase of speed. However, the results of this experiment proved otherwise. The conclusions suggest that multiresolution designs are not a straightforward reduction of LOD, even though the movement speed does affect haptic sensitivity. The model's geometry should be taken into account when designing the parameters for haptic model compression. The results from the experiments provide insights to future haptic multiresolution compression designs.

abstract: Graphs are commonly used visualization tools in a variety of fields. Algorithms have been proposed that claim to improve the readability of graphs by reducing edge crossings, adjusting edge length, or some other means. However, little research has been done to determine which of these algorithms best suit human perception for particular graph properties. This thesis explores four different graph properties: average local clustering coefficient (ALCC), global clustering coefficient (GCC), number of triangles (NT), and diameter. For each of these properties, three different graph layouts are applied to represent three different approaches to graph visualization: multidimensional scaling (MDS), force directed (FD), and tsNET. In a series of studies conducted through the crowdsourcing platform Amazon Mechanical Turk, participants are tasked with discriminating between two graphs in order to determine their just noticeable differences (JNDs) for the four graph properties and three layout algorithm pairs. These results are analyzed using previously established methods presented by Rensink et al. and Kay and Heer.The average JNDs are analyzed using a linear model that determines whether the property-layout pair seems to follow Weber's Law, and the individual JNDs are run through a log-linear model to determine whether it is possible to model the individual variance of the participant's JNDs. The models are evaluated using the R2 score to determine if they adequately explain the data and compared using the Mann-Whitney pairwise U-test to determine whether the layout has a significant effect on the perception of the graph property. These tests indicate that the data collected in the studies can not always be modelled well with either the linear model or log-linear model, which suggests that some properties may not follow Weber's Law. Additionally, the layout algorithm is not found to have a significant impact on the perception of some of these properties. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Computer Science 2019

A avaliação objetiva da qualidade de imagens é de especial importância em diversas aplicações, por exemplo na compressão de imagens, onde pode ser utilizada para regular a taxa que deve ser empregada para que haja a máxima compressão (permitindo perda de dados) sem comprometer a qualidade final; outro exemplo é na inserção de marcas dágua, isto é, introdução de informações descritivas utilizadas para atestar a autenticidade de uma imagem, que devem ser invisíveis para o observador. O SSIM (Structural SIMilarity) é uma métrica de avaliação objetiva da qualidade de imagens de referência completa projetada para imagens em tons de cinza. Esta dissertação investiga sua aplicação na avaliação de imagens coloridas. Para tanto, inicialmente é feito um estudo do SSIM utilizando quatro diferentes espaços de cores RGB, YCbCr, Lαβ e CIELAB. O SSIM é primeiramente calculado nos canais individuais desses espaços de cores. Em seguida, com inspiração no trabalho desenvolvido em (1) são testadas formas de se combinar os valores SSIM obtidos para cada canal em um valor único os chamados SSIM Compostos. Finalmente, a fim de buscar melhores correlações entre SSIM e avaliação subjetiva, propomos a utilização da mínima diferença de cor perceptível, calculada utilizando o espaço de cores CIELAB, conjuntamente com o SSIM. Para os testes são utilizados três bancos de dados de imagens coloridas, LIVE, IVC e TID, a fim de se conferir consistência aos resultados. A avaliação dos resultados é feita utilizando as métricas empregadas pelo VQEG (Video Quality Experts Group) para a avaliação da qualidade de vídeos, com uma adaptação. As conclusões do trabalho sugerem que os melhores resultados para avaliação da qualidade de imagens coloridas usando o SSIM são obtidas usando os canais de luminância dos espaços de cores YCbCr, Lαβ e especialmente o CIELAB. Também se concluiu que a utilização da mínima diferença de cor perceptível contribui para o melhoramento dos resultados da avaliação objetiva. / Objective image quality evaluation is of special interest in many image applications, for example for image compression, where it can be used to control the rate in order to keep a tradeoff between lost of data and image quality; another example is in the application of watermarks, i.e., introduction of descriptive information used to guarantee the authenticity of an image, that must be invisible to the observer who looks at the image. SSIM (Structural SIMilarity) index is a full-reference image quality assessment metric developed to evaluate gray images. This work investigates the application of SSIM in the evaluation of color images. Therefore, four different color spaces are tested RGB, YCbCr, Lαβ e CIELAB. Initially SSIM is calculated individually for each one of color spaces channels. Then, inspired in (1), the results of the SSIM in the individual channels are combined in a unique result the so called Composite SSIM. Finally, in order to improve the correlations between, calculated using CIELAB color space, together with SSIM. Three color image databases, LIVE, IVC and TID, were employed in the tests in order to confer solidity to the results. The evaluation of the results is made using VQEG (Video Quality Experts Group) methodology, developed for video quality evaluation with an adaptation regarding the time dimension that does not exist in the image domain. The conclusions from the work were that SSIM performs better in the evaluation of color images when applied to luminance channel of YCbCr, Lαβ and especially to CIELAB color spaces. It was also concluded that the use of just noticeable difference concept improve objective assessment results.

A avaliação objetiva da qualidade de imagens é de especial importância em diversas aplicações, por exemplo na compressão de imagens, onde pode ser utilizada para regular a taxa que deve ser empregada para que haja a máxima compressão (permitindo perda de dados) sem comprometer a qualidade final; outro exemplo é na inserção de marcas dágua, isto é, introdução de informações descritivas utilizadas para atestar a autenticidade de uma imagem, que devem ser invisíveis para o observador. O SSIM (Structural SIMilarity) é uma métrica de avaliação objetiva da qualidade de imagens de referência completa projetada para imagens em tons de cinza. Esta dissertação investiga sua aplicação na avaliação de imagens coloridas. Para tanto, inicialmente é feito um estudo do SSIM utilizando quatro diferentes espaços de cores RGB, YCbCr, Lαβ e CIELAB. O SSIM é primeiramente calculado nos canais individuais desses espaços de cores. Em seguida, com inspiração no trabalho desenvolvido em (1) são testadas formas de se combinar os valores SSIM obtidos para cada canal em um valor único os chamados SSIM Compostos. Finalmente, a fim de buscar melhores correlações entre SSIM e avaliação subjetiva, propomos a utilização da mínima diferença de cor perceptível, calculada utilizando o espaço de cores CIELAB, conjuntamente com o SSIM. Para os testes são utilizados três bancos de dados de imagens coloridas, LIVE, IVC e TID, a fim de se conferir consistência aos resultados. A avaliação dos resultados é feita utilizando as métricas empregadas pelo VQEG (Video Quality Experts Group) para a avaliação da qualidade de vídeos, com uma adaptação. As conclusões do trabalho sugerem que os melhores resultados para avaliação da qualidade de imagens coloridas usando o SSIM são obtidas usando os canais de luminância dos espaços de cores YCbCr, Lαβ e especialmente o CIELAB. Também se concluiu que a utilização da mínima diferença de cor perceptível contribui para o melhoramento dos resultados da avaliação objetiva. / Objective image quality evaluation is of special interest in many image applications, for example for image compression, where it can be used to control the rate in order to keep a tradeoff between lost of data and image quality; another example is in the application of watermarks, i.e., introduction of descriptive information used to guarantee the authenticity of an image, that must be invisible to the observer who looks at the image. SSIM (Structural SIMilarity) index is a full-reference image quality assessment metric developed to evaluate gray images. This work investigates the application of SSIM in the evaluation of color images. Therefore, four different color spaces are tested RGB, YCbCr, Lαβ e CIELAB. Initially SSIM is calculated individually for each one of color spaces channels. Then, inspired in (1), the results of the SSIM in the individual channels are combined in a unique result the so called Composite SSIM. Finally, in order to improve the correlations between, calculated using CIELAB color space, together with SSIM. Three color image databases, LIVE, IVC and TID, were employed in the tests in order to confer solidity to the results. The evaluation of the results is made using VQEG (Video Quality Experts Group) methodology, developed for video quality evaluation with an adaptation regarding the time dimension that does not exist in the image domain. The conclusions from the work were that SSIM performs better in the evaluation of color images when applied to luminance channel of YCbCr, Lαβ and especially to CIELAB color spaces. It was also concluded that the use of just noticeable difference concept improve objective assessment results.

No description available.