Optical Media Interface
Research Staff
-
Professor
Yasuhiro MUKAIGAWA -
Associate Professor
Takuya FUNATOMI -
Affiliate Associate Professor
Kenichiro TANAKA -
Assistant Professor
Yuki FUJIMURA -
Assistant Professor
Kazuya KITANO
Research Areas
Fig.1 Material estimation and 3D reconstruction.
Fig.2 Realistic computer graphics.
Fig.3 Cameras and lenses.
Fig.4 Sensing system development.
Check out our laboratory website for the recent topics and the detail. Our research interests stand on both computer vision and computer graphics techniques, which are inextricably linked together. Some of this research has interdisciplinary applications in areas such as autonomous robots, factory automation, medical services, and agriculture, and is performed in collaboration with other universities and companies.
Computer Vision
We are developing technologies that allow the computer to understand the scene by estimating the three-dimensional shape and material of the object based on the visual information captured by the camera. For this purpose, we use not only ordinary cameras, but also various cameras such as thermal camera, hyper-spectral camera, and Time-of-Flight camera. These technologies are required in the industrial areas such as self-driving car and product inspection.
Computer Graphics
We are developing technologies that faithfully reproduce the unique texture of the real object with CG by measuring the reflection and scattering of light with a camera. In addition to simply displaying CG on the display, we are also trying new ways to show CG, such as creating replicas that look exactly like the real object. We are also working on the development of support technology for animation production.
Computational Photography
We are evolving the camera by incorporating computations into the process of photography. It is possible to exceed the physical limitation of the camera by adding a special optical system, not just image processing. Therefore, it is possible to take pictures that are not possible with ordinary cameras. This new technology is being implemented in smartphones recently.
Development of Sensing System
In order to measure the propagation of light such as reflection and scattering in the scene, we are developing sensing systems according to the application. By combining various optical elements and light sources, we actually create a system with only one in the world. In particular, systems that combine a projector and a camera can be used for various purposes depending on the arrangement.