Šiame darbe yra tiriamos atrankiojo aplinkos 3D geometrijos atstatymo galimybės panaudojant Kinect jutiklio kombinuotą vaizdo-gylio kamerą: pateikiamas matematinis atstatymo modelis, jo parametrizavimui reikalingi koeficientai, apibūdinama tikėtinų paklaidų apimtis, siūloma aktualių scenos duomenų išskyrimo iš scenos procedūra, tiriamas gaunamo modelio triukšmas ir jo pašalinimo galimybės ir metodai. Atstatyta geometrija yra pateikiama metrinėje matų sistemoje, ir kiekvienas 3D scenos taškas papildomai saugo savo spalvinę informaciją. Praktinėje dalyje pateikiama sukurta taikomoji programa yra įgyvendinta naudojant C++ ir OpenCV matematines programavimo bibliotekas. Ji atlieka 3D geometrijos atstatymą pagal pateiktą teorinį modelį, išskiria aktualius scenos duomenis, pašalina triukšmą ir gali išsaugoti gautus duomenis į 3D modeliavimo programoms suprantamą PLY formato bylą. Darbą sudaro: įvadas, 3 skyriai, išvados ir literatūros sąrašas. Darbo apimtis – 61 p. teksto be priedų, 43 paveikslai, 4 lentelės, 22 bibliografiniai šaltiniai. / The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the possibilities of selective 3D geometry reconstruction using Kinect combined image-depth camera: a mathematical reconstruction model is provided, as well as coefficients to parametrize it and estimates on expected precision; a procedure on filtering out the background from depth image is proposed, depth image noise and possibilities for its removal are studied. Resulting reconstructed geometry is provided using metric system of measurement, and each 3D point also retains it's color data. Resulting application is implemented in C++ programming language and uses OpenCV programming library. It implements 3D geometry reconstruction as described in theory section, removes background from depth image, as well as noise, and is able to save the resulting 3D geometry to a 3D modeling applications readable file format. Structure: introduction, 3 chapters, conclusions, references. Thesis consists of – 61 p. of text, 43 figures, 4 tables, 22 bibliographical entries.

The objective of the research is to examine the impact of auditory stimulus on improving reaching performance in children with cerebral palsy. A form of auditory stimulus, called rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS), is well-established in neurological fields as well as in music-based rehabilitation and therapy. RAS is a method in which the rhythm functions as a sensory cue to induce temporal stability and enhancement of movement patterns by what is believed to be a temporal constraint of the patient’s internal optimized path of motion. In current neurological studies, it is suggested that activity in the premotor cortex may represent the integration of auditory information with temporally organized motor action during rhythmic cuing. Based on this theory, researchers have shown that rhythmic auditory stimulation can produce significant improvement in mean gait velocity, cadence, and stride length in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Evidence validating this observation was also seen in a study on hemiparetic stroke wherein patients displayed improvements in spatio-temporal arm control, reduction in variability of timing and reaching trajectories, and kinematic smoothing of the wrist joint during rhythmic entrainment. Lastly, studies have suggested an accompaniment of sound feedback in addition to visual feedback can result in a positive influence and higher confidence in patients who have had a stroke or spinal cord injury. Although an effect of rhythmic cuing on upper extremity therapy has been explored in areas where brain injury has occurred (such as patients who have incurred stroke, spinal injury, traumatic brain injury, etc.), what has not been explored is the effect of rhythmic cuing on upper extremity therapy for individuals with neurological movement disorders, such as cerebral palsy. Thus, in this research, we set out to explore the effect of RAS in therapeutic interventions for children with cerebral palsy. Through this investigation, we examine its effect on reaching performance as measured through range of motion, peak angular velocity, movement time, path length, spatio-temporal variability, and movement units. For this assessment, we created a virtual system to test the aforementioned principles. We established clinically based angular measurements that include elbow flexion, shoulder flexion, and shoulder abduction using a 3D depth sensor to evaluate relevant metrics in upper extremity rehabilitation. We validated the output of our measurements through a comparison with a Vicon Motion Capture System. We then confirmed the trends of the metrics between groups of adults, children, and children with cerebral palsy. Through testing our system with adults, children, and children with cerebral palsy, we believe we have constructed a system that may induce engagement, which is critical to physical therapy, and may also have a positive impact on the metrics. Although we see trends indicative of an effect through use of the system on children with cerebral palsy, we believe further testing is needed in order to establish or refute the effect and also to definitively establish or refute the effect of rhythmic auditory stimulation. The system, the angular measurements, and the metrics we employ could provide an excellent foundation for future research in this space.

Ces dernières années, les réseaux de capteurs sans fil ont vu leurs champs d'applications s'élargir pour toucher plusieurs domaines dont celui de surveillance. En parallèle, le domaine à vocation médicale pour l'assistance aux personnes n’a pas manqué de s'intéresser lui aussi à cette technologie émergente face aux nombreux attraits qu'elle représente. C'est dans ce contexte que se situe notre travail de thèse. Nous nous intéressons à l'utilisation des réseaux de capteurs de type vidéo non intrusif pour la surveillance continue de personnes âgées évoluant dans leur environnement naturel. L’objectif est la proposition d’un système associant capteur vidéo et analyse intelligente locale, à un système de communication sans fil permettant la surveillance de personnes dans son habitat ou en milieu spécialisé. Nous désirons avant tout être capable d’identifier la personne surveillée et détecter son comportement, ses actions, ses mouvements afin d’agir sur son environnement via un système de communication sans fil et domotique, détecter une chute et émettre une alerte à travers le réseau. Une telle proposition, représente une solution avantageuse pour plusieurs raisons. Sur le plan économique, surveiller une personne âgée tout en la gardant dans son environnement normal permettrait de diminuer les charges d'assistance aux personnes en les traitant par un personnel spécialisé à l'hôpital ou à une maison de retraite. Un apport non négligeable est celui lié aux aspects psychiques et sociaux de la personne âgée, à qui cette surveillance discrète et imperceptible lui assure à la fois le sentiment de sécurité, de respect de la vie privée et d'autonomie. / In recent years, wireless sensor networks have seen their fields of application expand to affect several areas, including monitoring. In parallel, the field medical projects to assist people did not fail to be interested in this emerging technology thanks to the attractions it represents. It is in this context that our thesis is subscribed. We are interested in the use of a non-intrusive video sensors network to monitor elderly people continuously in their natural environment. The objective is the proposal of a video sensor system combining local and intelligent analysis, a wireless communication system for monitoring people in their habitat or specialized environment. We want above all, to be able to identify and detect the monitored person's behavior as well as his actions and his movements to act on his environment via a wireless communication system and home automation. Then we aim to detect a fall and communicate an alert through the network. This proposal represents an advantageous solution for several reasons. Economically, monitor an elderly person while keeping it in his normal environment would reduce the charges of assistance to people by treating them with specialized staff at the hospital or a nursing home. A significant contribution is the one related to the psychological and social aspects of the elderly, to whom this discreet and invisible monitoring ensures both the feeling of security, respect for privacy and autonomy.

This diploma thesis deals with controlling computers by gestures. It contains a description of motion capture and available technologies, a more detailed description of the Microsoft Kinect sensor and a summary of available libraries for developing applications controlled by Kinect. Part of this thesis is also a list of projects from various areas that are working with Kinect. The output of this thesis is an application controllable by natural hand gestures, to allow common tasks such as selecting elements, browsing through images, etc. Data from the Kinect sensor are processed through the Microsoft Kinect SDK. The application is implemented in C#.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar comparativamente parâmetros biomecânicos (tanto antropométricos, quanto cinemáticos) de dados obtidos a partir do console Microsoft Kinect (2010). A avaliação destes parâmetros foi realizada para validar seu uso para obter informações complementares à Análise Ergonomica do Trabalho (AET) e em outras pesquisas, cujos objetivos envolvem o diagnóstico de uso de produtos ou ambientes de trabalho a partir da análises posturais e interações da população que o utiliza. A pesquisa com este console em particular é justificada uma vez que seu lançamento modificou o cenário da biomecânica, já que se trata de um equipamento acessível e portátil. Porém, sua precisão em relação à outros equipamentos ainda está em aberto, sendo inclusive, objeto de estudo de muitas pesquisas em andamento. Os dados obtidos por meio de sistemas de captura de movimentos tridimensionais permitem a avaliação de produtos, atividades e análises de interações homem-objeto. No campo do Design, é uma importante realização, uma vez que permite que profissionais tenham acesso à ferramenta que, anteriormente, era limitada à nichos especializados. O console foi comparado com o sistema de captura de movimentos inercial MVN Biomech (XSENS TECHNOLOGIES) e com o tradicional registro por meio de vídeo. Para obter dados do console Kinect, um software disponível no mercado foi selecionado a partir de critérios predefinidos para obter dados cinemáticos do console. Dois experimentos laboratoriais foram realizados: o primeiro, teve como objetivo obter dados operacionais dos equipamentos e suas limitações de uso; e o segundo foi realizado de forma a obter dados biomecânicos e compará-los a partir de três parâmetros estáticos e um dinâmico. Os parâmetros estáticos envolveram ângulos articulares e segmentares em posturas selecionadas e dimensões segmentares, onde a proposta foi avaliar dados antropométricos e as características do modelo biomecânico referente à manter os corpos rígidos durante a movimentação. O parâmetro dinâmico foi realizado de forma a obter dados de deslocamento global das articulações em movimentações selecionadas. Para possibilitar esta análise, uma plataforma digital foi desenvolvida, constituindo um campo neutro para o tratamento dos dados. A plataforma mantém os dados originais dos sistemas, permitindo a distinção entre os modelos biomecânicos e a retirada de dados que possam ser comparados. Os experimentos realizados permitiram avaliar a usabilidade do console, fornecendo diretrizes para seu uso. Para avaliar a utilização do console em ambientes reais de trabalho, foram realizados registros preliminares em laboratórios químicos, os quais se mostraram viáveis se as limitações, semelhantes às de sistemas baseados em tecnologia ótica, sejam consideradas. Futuras análises devem ser conduzidas para validar estatisticamente os resultados obtidos. Porém, considerando o objetivo do trabalho, pode-se concluir que o sistema avaliado é uma alternativa confiável no contexto proposto. / The aim of the present study was to evaluate biomechanical parameters (both, anthropometric and kinematic) from data acquired through Microsoft Kinect (2010). The validation of its biomechanical characteristics will allow its use in gathering information to complement Ergonomic Work Analysis (EWA) and other user researches that provide product and work environment diagnosis through postural and dynamic assessment. The use of MS Kinect in this research is justified by the fact that is it has changed biomechanical scenario due to the fact that it is an inexpensive and portable alternative to the available motion capture systems available in the market. However, its accuracy has been the subject of many ongoing researches Data acquired from 3D motion capture systems provide means for evaluating products, activities and human-object interactions. In Design, its an important achievement, since it allows professionals to use the tool, considering that most motion capture systems available in the market are not accessible. The Microsoft console was compared to MVN Biomech inertial system (XSENS TECHNOLOGIES) and traditional 2D video data. In order to acquire kinematic data form MS Kinect, a software was chosen, following a few criteria. Two laboratorial experiments were held, where the first aimed to acquire operational details and limitations from the equipments, as for the second aimed to compare biomechanical data through three static parameters and one dynamic. The static parameters involved joint and segment angles, as well as a segments dimensional comparison, whereas the proposals were to assess anthropometric features and to understand if the biomechanical model considers the segments as rigid bodies. The dynamic comparison was based on joints global displacement in selected movements. In order to analyze data from different systems, a digital platform based on a game engine was developed, constituting an even ground for evaluation. The platform maintains original data from the biomechanical models and extracts kinematic parameters, which can be compared. The experiments have provided understanding on the consoles operations, providing guidelines for its usage. In order to also evaluate its usage in real work environments, trial recordings were held in chemical laboratories. These trials have shown the alternative to be viable if the limitations, similar to optical systems, are considered. Future analyses should be conducted in order to statistically validate the results. However, given the goals and context of this research, it can be concluded that the evaluated system is a reliable motion capture alternative.

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-01-14T09:59:50Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - João Bertolino de Sousa Neto - 2015.pdf: 1557142 bytes, checksum: f1c0f4acdacc4138f042a38b31936048 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-01-15T08:25:03Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - João Bertolino de Sousa Neto - 2015.pdf: 1557142 bytes, checksum: f1c0f4acdacc4138f042a38b31936048 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-15T08:25:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - João Bertolino de Sousa Neto - 2015.pdf: 1557142 bytes, checksum: f1c0f4acdacc4138f042a38b31936048 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-28 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás - FAPEG / The use of video games has proven to be an important supporting tool in the therapy of various motor diseases, especially stroke because it generates significant economic and social impact. The development of a serious game for the rehabilitation of the upper limbs is important, since commercial games are not adjusted to this target audience. The Flow is a state of mind achieved when there is high level of engagement. This study aimed to determine whether games with focus on gameplay would have greater Flow than games with focus on movement. Part of this work was the project of a game with six stages that require different movements set in the context of Brazilian culture. The technology of interacting with the game environment was the Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 sensor. The prototype of one of the stages was developed using Unity engine. In order to conduct the proposed test, the prototype was adapted to change the focus from the gameplay to the required movement. The study had the participation of 60 individuals; half of them interacted with the game prototype, focused on gameplay (Group A) and the other half with the second prototype, focused on movement (Group B). No significant difference was observed in Flow between groups (average 5.353 ± 0.764 for Group A and 5.240 ± 0.659 for Group B, p = 0,289), but their results were higher compared with the literature, suggesting that there was an overvaluation of the technological apparatus in the judgment of the participants rather than the experience with the game itself. The data suggest that future studies are needed to ascertain such influence and the construction of the complete game is feasible. / O uso de jogos eletrônicos é uma importante ferramenta para o auxílio na terapia de diversas patologias, podendo ser destacado o Acidente Vascular Encefálico, que gera grande impacto econômico e social. Entretanto, é necessário o desenvolvimento de jogos sérios para reabilitação de membros superiores, visto que jogos comerciais não são ajustados para esse público alvo. O Fluxo é um estado da mente obtido quando há alto nível de engajamento. Esse trabalho buscou verificar se jogos com foco na jogabilidade iriam apresentar maior Fluxo do que jogos com foco no movimento. Parte deste trabalho foi o desenvolvimento do projeto de um jogo contendo seis fases que exigem movimentos diferentes ambientado na cultura brasileira. O método de interação com o ambiente do jogo foi o sensor Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360. O protótipo de uma das fases do jogo foi desenvolvido utilizando o motor de jogo Unity. Para realizar o teste proposto, o protótipo foi adaptado com a finalidade de mudar o foco da jogabilidade para o movimento exigido. O estudo contou com a participação de 60 indivíduos, sendo que metade deles interagiu com o protótipo do jogo focado na jogabilidade (Grupo A) e a outra metade com o segundo protótipo, focado no movimento (Grupo B). Não foi observada diferença significativa no Fluxo entre os dois grupos (média de 5,353 ± 0,764 para o Grupo A e 5,240 ± 0,659 para o Grupo B, p = 0,289), porém seus resultados foram altos comparados com a literatura, sugerindo que houve uma supervalorização do aparato tecnológico no julgamento dos participantes em detrimento da experiência com o jogo em si. Os dados apontam que estudos futuros são necessários para averiguar tal influência, e que a construção do jogo completo é viável.

Obstacle detection is one of the major focus area on image processing. For mobile robots, obstacle detection and collision avoidance is a notorious problem and is still a part of the modern research. There are already a lot of research have been done so far for obstacle detection and collision avoidance. This thesis evaluates the existing various well-known methods and sensors for collision free navigation of the mobile robot. For moving obstacle detection purpose the frame difference approach is adopted. Robotino® is used as the mobile robot platform and additionally Microsoft Kinect is used as 3D sensor. For getting information from the environment about obstacle, the 9-built-in distance sensor of Robotino® and 3D depth image data from the Kinect is used. The combination is done to get the maximum advantages for obstacles information. The detection of moving object in front of the sensor is a major interest of this work.

[pt] Sensores de profundidade do tipo RGB-D são alternativas interessantes para realizar a reconstrução 3D do ambiente a um baixo custo. Neste trabalho, avaliamos uma pipe-line de reconstrução implementada em GPU que une um sistema de tracking baseado no alinhamento de nuvem de pontos para estimar a posição da câmera e um sistema de reconstrução/visualização volumétrica para suavizar as medidas naturalmente ruidosas do sensor, utilizando o Kinect como entrada RGB-D. Foi feita uma análise técnica do algoritmo, demonstrando o impacto de modificações de parâmetros do sistema, além de um comparativo de tempo e precisão entre a implementação aqui apresentada e uma versão pública disponibilizada pela Point Cloud Library(PCL) durante o desenvolvimento deste trabalho. Algumas modificações em relação ao trabalho original foram feitas e os testes de desempenho demonstram que nossa implementação é mais rápida do que a da PCL sem comprometer significantemente a precisão da reconstrução. / [en] Depth sensors of the type RGB-D are interesting alternatives to do a 3D reconstruction of the environment with low cost. In this work, we evaluate a reconstruction pipe-line implemented on GPU that merges a point cloud alignment tracking system to estimate the camera position and a volumetric reconstruction/visualization to smooth the naturally noise measures from the sensor, using the Kinect as RGB-D input. A technical analysis of the algorithm has been made, showing the impact of parameter modifications of the system and a comparative of time and precision between the presented implementation and a public version available by the Point Cloud Library (PCL) during the development of this work. Some modifications to the original work have been made and the performance tests demonstrate that our implementation is faster than the PCL version without compromising the reconstruction precision.

L'analyse ergonomique des postes de travail reste le point de départ de toute politique de prévention des risques de maladies professionnelles. De nombreux travaux scientifiques s'attachent à quantifier les déterminants à risque pour aboutir le plus souvent à un score de pénibilité. La difficulté actuelle des méthodes de cotation ergonomique se situe au niveau de la capture de ces déterminants. La majorité des systèmes se limitent à une collecte de données souvent subjective et très influencé par la personne effectuant la cotation. La volonté de l'entreprise par le biais de ce stage est d'objectiver l'analyse ergonomique des postes de travail par une capture du mouvement de l'opérateur. Le principale défi est le passage d'outil et de méthode scientifique à une utilisation de terrain avec toutes les contraintes qu'elle induit.L'apport des avancées technologiques et scientifiques encourage ce passage par des outils utilisable dans le contexte industriel. Les deux principaux objectif de ce stage se sont situer premièrement sur la limitation des biais de capture pour amener un précision et un standardisation de la mesure de terrain, ainsi que sur l'accès à de nouvelles données notamment l'aspect temporel de la tâche effectuée. Le matériel utilisé est le capteur de profondeur Kinect développé par Microsoft. Cet appareil fait l'objet d’études scientifique dans différents domaines et plus particulièrement dans son utilisation pour de la capture de mouvements.Lors de ce stage, nous nous somme attaché à traiter le signal émis par la Kinect, pour obtenir des données permettant le remplissage automatique de grille de cotation. Le bruit de mesure fût travailler à l'aide d'un filtre récursif passe bas utilisé fréquemment en laboratoire d'analyse du mouvement. Le traitement des données spatiales brut des articulations de l'opérateur pour obtenir des angles fit l'objet d'un grande partie du travail, car ne nombreux paramètre entre en jeu comme la position du capteur.La réussite du stage à permis de limiter la subjectivité de la mesure mais à également donnée l'accès à de nouveaux indices comme les pourcentage de temps de cycle passé à des angulations dangereuses pour l'opérateur. Le passage d'outil de laboratoire au terrain mérite encore d'être travaillé notamment dans la robustesse des systèmes développés et doit s'appuyer sur des expérimentations de laboratoire. / Evaluation of potential risks of musculoskeletal disorders in real workstations is challenging as the environment is cluttered, which makes it difficult to correctly and accurately assess the pose of a worker. Most of the traditional motion capture systems cannot deal with these workplace constraints. Being marker-free and calibration-free, Microsoft Kinect is a promising device to assess these poses, but the validity of the delivered kinematic data under work conditions is still unknown. In this thesis we first propose an extensive validation of the Kinect system in an ergonomic assessment context with sub-optimal capture condition. As most of the large inaccuracies come from occlusions, we propose a new example-based method to correct unreliable poses delivered by the Kinect in such a situation. We introduced the Filtered Pose Graph structure to make the method select the most relevant candidates before combination. In an ergonomics context, we computed RULA scores and compared them to those computed from an optoelectronic mocap system. We also propose to challenge our method in real workplace environment and compared its performance to experts' evaluation in the Faurecia company. Finally, we evaluated the relevance of the proposed method to estimate internal joint torques thanks to inverse dynamics, even if occlusions occur. Our method opens new perspectives to define new fatigue or solicitation indexes based on continuous measurement contrary to classical static images generally used in ergonomics. The computation time enables real-time feedback and interaction with the operator.

Motion capture technology has been applied in many fields such as animation, medicine, military, etc. since it was first proposed in the 1970s. Based on the principles applied, motion capture technology is generally classified into six categories: 1) Optical; 2) Inertial; 3) Magnetic; 4) Mechanical; 5) Acoustic and 6) Markerless. Different from the other five kinds of motion capture technologies which try to track path of specific points with different equipment, markerless systems recognize human or non-human body's motion with vision-based technology which focuses on analyzing and processing the captured images for motion capture. The user doed not need to wear any equipment and is free to do any action in an extensible measurement area while a markerless motion capture system is working. Though this kind of system is considered as the preferred solution for motion capture, the difficulty for realizing an effective and high accuracy markerless system is much higher than the other technologies mentioned, which makes markerless motion capture development a popular research direction. Microsoft Kinect sensor has attracted lots of attention since the launch of its first version with its depth sensing feature which gives the sensor the ability to do motion capture without any extra devices. Recently, Microsoft released a new version of Kinect sensor with improved hardware and and targeted at the consumer market. However, to the best of our knowlege, the accuracy assessment of the sensor remains to be answered since it was released. In this thesis, we measure the depth accuracy of the newly released Kinect v2 depth sensor from different aspects and propose a trilateration method to improve the depth accuracy with multiple Kinects simultaneously. Based on the trilateration method, a low-cost, no wearable equipment requirement and easy setup human gait tracking system is realized.