Publications | Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems

984 results (View BibTeX file of all listed publications)

2017

Causal Discovery from Temporally Aggregated Time Series

Gong, M., Zhang, K., Schölkopf, B., Glymour, C., Tao, D.

Proceedings Conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (UAI) 2017, pages: ID 269, (Editors: Gal Elidan, Kristian Kersting, and Alexander T. Ihler), Association for Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (AUAI), Conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (UAI), August 2017 (conference)

link (url) [BibTex]

2017

ei Gong, M., Zhang, K., Schölkopf, B., Glymour, C., Tao, D. Causal Discovery from Temporally Aggregated Time Series Proceedings Conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (UAI) 2017, pages: ID 269, (Editors: Gal Elidan, Kristian Kersting, and Alexander T. Ihler), Association for Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (AUAI), Conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (UAI), August 2017 (conference)

link (url) [BibTex]

Coupling Adaptive Batch Sizes with Learning Rates

Balles, L., Romero, J., Hennig, P.

In Proceedings Conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (UAI) 2017, pages: 410-419, (Editors: Gal Elidan and Kristian Kersting), Association for Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (AUAI), Conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (UAI), August 2017 (inproceedings)

Abstract

Mini-batch stochastic gradient descent and variants thereof have become standard for large-scale empirical risk minimization like the training of neural networks. These methods are usually used with a constant batch size chosen by simple empirical inspection. The batch size significantly influences the behavior of the stochastic optimization algorithm, though, since it determines the variance of the gradient estimates. This variance also changes over the optimization process; when using a constant batch size, stability and convergence is thus often enforced by means of a (manually tuned) decreasing learning rate schedule. We propose a practical method for dynamic batch size adaptation. It estimates the variance of the stochastic gradients and adapts the batch size to decrease the variance proportionally to the value of the objective function, removing the need for the aforementioned learning rate decrease. In contrast to recent related work, our algorithm couples the batch size to the learning rate, directly reflecting the known relationship between the two. On three image classification benchmarks, our batch size adaptation yields faster optimization convergence, while simultaneously simplifying learning rate tuning. A TensorFlow implementation is available.

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Code link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

ps pn Balles, L., Romero, J., Hennig, P. Coupling Adaptive Batch Sizes with Learning Rates In Proceedings Conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (UAI) 2017, pages: 410-419, (Editors: Gal Elidan and Kristian Kersting), Association for Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (AUAI), Conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence (UAI), August 2017 (inproceedings)

Code link (url) Project Page [BibTex]

Dipole codes attractively encode glue functions

Ipparthi, D., Mastrangeli, M., Winslow, A.

Theoretical Computer Science, 671, pages: 19 - 25, August 2017, Computational Self-Assembly (article)

Abstract

Dipole words are sequences of magnetic dipoles, in which alike elements repel and opposite elements attract. Magnetic dipoles contrast with more general sets of bonding types, called glues, in which pairwise bonding strength is specified by a glue function. We prove that every glue function g has a set of dipole words, called a dipole code, that attractively encodes g: the pairwise attractions (positive or non-positive bond strength) between the words are identical to those of g. Moreover, we give such word sets of asymptotically optimal length. Similar results are obtained for a commonly used subclass of glue functions.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

pi Ipparthi, D., Mastrangeli, M., Winslow, A. Dipole codes attractively encode glue functions Theoretical Computer Science, 671, pages: 19 - 25, August 2017, Computational Self-Assembly (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Physical and Behavioral Factors Improve Robot Hug Quality

Block, A. E., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

Workshop Paper (2 pages) presented at the RO-MAN Workshop on Social Interaction and Multimodal Expression for Socially Intelligent Robots, Lisbon, Portugal, August 2017 (misc)

Abstract

A hug is one of the most basic ways humans can express affection. As hugs are so common, a natural progression of robot development is to have robots one day hug humans as seamlessly as these intimate human-human interactions occur. This project’s purpose is to evaluate human responses to different robot physical characteristics and hugging behaviors. Specifically, we aim to test the hypothesis that a warm, soft, touch-sensitive PR2 humanoid robot can provide humans with satisfying hugs by matching both their hugging pressure and their hugging duration. Thirty participants experienced and evaluated twelve hugs with the robot, divided into three randomly ordered trials that focused on physical robot char- acteristics and nine randomly ordered trials with varied hug pressure and duration. We found that people prefer soft, warm hugs over hard, cold hugs. Furthermore, users prefer hugs that physically squeeze them and release immediately when they are ready for the hug to end.

Project Page [BibTex]

hi Block, A. E., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Physical and Behavioral Factors Improve Robot Hug Quality Workshop Paper (2 pages) presented at the RO-MAN Workshop on Social Interaction and Multimodal Expression for Socially Intelligent Robots, Lisbon, Portugal, August 2017 (misc)

Project Page [BibTex]

Causal Discovery from Nonstationary/Heterogeneous Data: Skeleton Estimation and Orientation Determination

Zhang, K., Huang, B., Zhang, J., Glymour, C., Schölkopf, B.

Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI), pages: 1347-1353, (Editors: Carles Sierra), August 2017 (conference)

PDF DOI [BibTex]

ei Zhang, K., Huang, B., Zhang, J., Glymour, C., Schölkopf, B. Causal Discovery from Nonstationary/Heterogeneous Data: Skeleton Estimation and Orientation Determination Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI), pages: 1347-1353, (Editors: Carles Sierra), August 2017 (conference)

PDF DOI [BibTex]

Crowdshaping Realistic 3D Avatars with Words

Streuber, S., Ramirez, M. Q., Black, M., Zuffi, S., O’Toole, A., Hill, M. Q., Hahn, C. A.

August 2017, Application PCT/EP2017/051954 (misc)

Abstract

A method for generating a body shape, comprising the steps: - receiving one or more linguistic descriptors related to the body shape; - retrieving an association between the one or more linguistic descriptors and a body shape; and - generating the body shape, based on the association.

Google Patents [BibTex]

ps Streuber, S., Ramirez, M. Q., Black, M., Zuffi, S., O’Toole, A., Hill, M. Q., Hahn, C. A. Crowdshaping Realistic 3D Avatars with Words August 2017, Application PCT/EP2017/051954 (misc)

Google Patents [BibTex]

Ungrounded Haptic Augmented Reality System for Displaying Texture and Friction

Culbertson, H., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 22(4):1839-1849, August 2017 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

hi Culbertson, H., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Ungrounded Haptic Augmented Reality System for Displaying Texture and Friction IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 22(4):1839-1849, August 2017 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Hypoxia‐enhanced adhesion of red blood cells in microscale flow

Kim, M., Alapan, Y., Adhikari, A., Little, J. A., Gurkan, U. A.

Microcirculation, 24(5):e12374, July 2017 (article)

Abstract

Abstract Objectives The advancement of microfluidic technology has facilitated the simulation of physiological conditions of the microcirculation, such as oxygen tension, fluid flow, and shear stress in these devices. Here, we present a micro‐gas exchanger integrated with microfluidics to study RBC adhesion under hypoxic flow conditions mimicking postcapillary venules. Methods We simulated a range of physiological conditions and explored RBC adhesion to endothelial or subendothelial components (FN or LN). Blood samples were injected into microchannels at normoxic or hypoxic physiological flow conditions. Quantitative evaluation of RBC adhesion was performed on 35 subjects with homozygous SCD. Results Significant heterogeneity in RBC adherence response to hypoxia was seen among SCD patients. RBCs from a HEA population showed a significantly greater increase in adhesion compared to RBCs from a HNA population, for both FN and LN. Conclusions The approach presented here enabled the control of oxygen tension in blood during microscale flow and the quantification of RBC adhesion in a cost‐efficient and patient‐specific manner. We identified a unique patient population in which RBCs showed enhanced adhesion in hypoxia in vitro. Clinical correlates suggest a more severe clinical phenotype in this subgroup.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

pi Kim, M., Alapan, Y., Adhikari, A., Little, J. A., Gurkan, U. A. Hypoxia‐enhanced adhesion of red blood cells in microscale flow Microcirculation, 24(5):e12374, July 2017 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

An XY ϴz flexure mechanism with optimal stiffness properties

Lum, G. Z., Pham, M. T., Teo, T. J., Yang, G., Yeo, S. H., Sitti, M.

In 2017 IEEE International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM), pages: 1103-1110, July 2017 (inproceedings)

Abstract

The development of optimal XY θz flexure mechanisms, which can deliver high precision motion about the z-axis, and along the x- and y-axes is highly desirable for a wide range of micro/nano-positioning tasks pertaining to biomedical research, microscopy technologies and various industrial applications. Although maximizing the stiffness ratios is a very critical design requirement, the achievable translational and rotational stiffness ratios of existing XY θz flexure mechanisms are still restricted between 0.5 and 130. As a result, these XY θz flexure mechanisms are unable to fully optimize their workspace and capabilities to reject disturbances. Here, we present an optimal XY θz flexure mechanism, which is designed to have maximum stiffness ratios. Based on finite element analysis (FEA), it has translational stiffness ratio of 248, rotational stiffness ratio of 238 and a large workspace of 2.50 mm × 2.50 mm × 10°. Despite having such a large workspace, FEA also predicts that the proposed mechanism can still achieve a high bandwidth of 70 Hz. In comparison, the bandwidth of similar existing flexure mechanisms that can deflect more than 0.5 mm or 0.5° is typically less than 45 Hz. Hence, the high stiffness ratios of the proposed mechanism are achieved without compromising its dynamic performance. Preliminary experimental results pertaining to the mechanism's translational actuating stiffness and bandwidth were in agreement with the FEA predictions as the deviation was within 10%. In conclusion, the proposed flexure mechanism exhibits superior performance and can be used across a wide range of applications.

DOI [BibTex]

pi Lum, G. Z., Pham, M. T., Teo, T. J., Yang, G., Yeo, S. H., Sitti, M. An XY ϴz flexure mechanism with optimal stiffness properties In 2017 IEEE International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM), pages: 1103-1110, July 2017 (inproceedings)

DOI [BibTex]

Positioning of drug carriers using permanent magnet-based robotic system in three-dimensional space

Khalil, I. S. M., Alfar, A., Tabak, A. F., Klingner, A., Stramigioli, S., Sitti, M.

In 2017 IEEE International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM), pages: 1117-1122, July 2017 (inproceedings)

Abstract

Magnetic control of drug carriers using systems with open-configurations is essential to enable scaling to the size of in vivo applications. In this study, we demonstrate motion control of paramagnetic microparticles in a low Reynolds number fluid, using a permanent magnet-based robotic system with an open-configuration. The microparticles are controlled in three-dimensional (3D) space using a cylindrical NdFeB magnet that is fixed to the end-effector of a robotic arm. We develop a kinematic map between the position of the microparticles and the configuration of the robotic arm, and use this map as a basis of a closed-loop control system based on the position of the microparticles. Our experimental results show the ability of the robot configuration to control the exerted field gradient on the dipole of the microparticles, and achieve positioning in 3D space with maximum error of 300 µm and 600 µm in the steady-state during setpoint and trajectory tracking, respectively.

DOI [BibTex]

pi Khalil, I. S. M., Alfar, A., Tabak, A. F., Klingner, A., Stramigioli, S., Sitti, M. Positioning of drug carriers using permanent magnet-based robotic system in three-dimensional space In 2017 IEEE International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM), pages: 1117-1122, July 2017 (inproceedings)

DOI [BibTex]

Self-assembly of micro/nanosystems across scales and interfaces

Mastrangeli, M.

In 2017 19th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems (TRANSDUCERS), pages: 676 - 681, IEEE, July 2017 (inproceedings)

Abstract

Steady progress in understanding and implementation are establishing self-assembly as a versatile, parallel and scalable approach to the fabrication of transducers. In this contribution, I illustrate the principles and reach of self-assembly with three applications at different scales - namely, the capillary self-alignment of millimetric components, the sealing of liquid-filled polymeric microcapsules, and the accurate capillary assembly of single nanoparticles - and propose foreseeable directions for further developments.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

pi Mastrangeli, M. Self-assembly of micro/nanosystems across scales and interfaces In 2017 19th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems (TRANSDUCERS), pages: 676 - 681, IEEE, July 2017 (inproceedings)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Joint Graph Decomposition and Node Labeling by Local Search

Levinkov, E., Uhrig, J., Tang, S., Omran, M., Insafutdinov, E., Kirillov, A., Rother, C., Brox, T., Schiele, B., Andres, B.

In 2017 IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), pages: 1904-1912, IEEE, IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

PDF Supplementary DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ps Levinkov, E., Uhrig, J., Tang, S., Omran, M., Insafutdinov, E., Kirillov, A., Rother, C., Brox, T., Schiele, B., Andres, B. Joint Graph Decomposition and Node Labeling by Local Search In 2017 IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), pages: 1904-1912, IEEE, IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

PDF Supplementary DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Dynamic FAUST: Registering Human Bodies in Motion

Bogo, F., Romero, J., Pons-Moll, G., Black, M. J.

In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

Abstract

While the ready availability of 3D scan data has influenced research throughout computer vision, less attention has focused on 4D data; that is 3D scans of moving nonrigid objects, captured over time. To be useful for vision research, such 4D scans need to be registered, or aligned, to a common topology. Consequently, extending mesh registration methods to 4D is important. Unfortunately, no ground-truth datasets are available for quantitative evaluation and comparison of 4D registration methods. To address this we create a novel dataset of high-resolution 4D scans of human subjects in motion, captured at 60 fps. We propose a new mesh registration method that uses both 3D geometry and texture information to register all scans in a sequence to a common reference topology. The approach exploits consistency in texture over both short and long time intervals and deals with temporal offsets between shape and texture capture. We show how using geometry alone results in significant errors in alignment when the motions are fast and non-rigid. We evaluate the accuracy of our registration and provide a dataset of 40,000 raw and aligned meshes. Dynamic FAUST extends the popular FAUST dataset to dynamic 4D data, and is available for research purposes at http://dfaust.is.tue.mpg.de.

pdf video Project Page Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

ps Bogo, F., Romero, J., Pons-Moll, G., Black, M. J. Dynamic FAUST: Registering Human Bodies in Motion In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

pdf video Project Page Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

Learning from Synthetic Humans

Varol, G., Romero, J., Martin, X., Mahmood, N., Black, M. J., Laptev, I., Schmid, C.

Abstract

Estimating human pose, shape, and motion from images and videos are fundamental challenges with many applications. Recent advances in 2D human pose estimation use large amounts of manually-labeled training data for learning convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Such data is time consuming to acquire and difficult to extend. Moreover, manual labeling of 3D pose, depth and motion is impractical. In this work we present SURREAL (Synthetic hUmans foR REAL tasks): a new large-scale dataset with synthetically-generated but realistic images of people rendered from 3D sequences of human motion capture data. We generate more than 6 million frames together with ground truth pose, depth maps, and segmentation masks. We show that CNNs trained on our synthetic dataset allow for accurate human depth estimation and human part segmentation in real RGB images. Our results and the new dataset open up new possibilities for advancing person analysis using cheap and large-scale synthetic data.

arXiv project data Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

ps Varol, G., Romero, J., Martin, X., Mahmood, N., Black, M. J., Laptev, I., Schmid, C. Learning from Synthetic Humans In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

arXiv project data Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

On human motion prediction using recurrent neural networks

Martinez, J., Black, M. J., Romero, J.

Abstract

Human motion modelling is a classical problem at the intersection of graphics and computer vision, with applications spanning human-computer interaction, motion synthesis, and motion prediction for virtual and augmented reality. Following the success of deep learning methods in several computer vision tasks, recent work has focused on using deep recurrent neural networks (RNNs) to model human motion, with the goal of learning time-dependent representations that perform tasks such as short-term motion prediction and long-term human motion synthesis. We examine recent work, with a focus on the evaluation methodologies commonly used in the literature, and show that, surprisingly, state-of-the-art performance can be achieved by a simple baseline that does not attempt to model motion at all. We investigate this result, and analyze recent RNN methods by looking at the architectures, loss functions, and training procedures used in state-of-the-art approaches. We propose three changes to the standard RNN models typically used for human motion, which result in a simple and scalable RNN architecture that obtains state-of-the-art performance on human motion prediction.

arXiv Project Page [BibTex]

ps Martinez, J., Black, M. J., Romero, J. On human motion prediction using recurrent neural networks In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

arXiv Project Page [BibTex]

Slow Flow: Exploiting High-Speed Cameras for Accurate and Diverse Optical Flow Reference Data

Janai, J., Güney, F., Wulff, J., Black, M., Geiger, A.

In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, pages: 1406-1416, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

Abstract

Existing optical flow datasets are limited in size and variability due to the difficulty of capturing dense ground truth. In this paper, we tackle this problem by tracking pixels through densely sampled space-time volumes recorded with a high-speed video camera. Our model exploits the linearity of small motions and reasons about occlusions from multiple frames. Using our technique, we are able to establish accurate reference flow fields outside the laboratory in natural environments. Besides, we show how our predictions can be used to augment the input images with realistic motion blur. We demonstrate the quality of the produced flow fields on synthetic and real-world datasets. Finally, we collect a novel challenging optical flow dataset by applying our technique on data from a high-speed camera and analyze the performance of the state-of-the-art in optical flow under various levels of motion blur.

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pdf suppmat Project page Video DOI Project Page [BibTex]

avg ps Janai, J., Güney, F., Wulff, J., Black, M., Geiger, A. Slow Flow: Exploiting High-Speed Cameras for Accurate and Diverse Optical Flow Reference Data In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, pages: 1406-1416, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

pdf suppmat Project page Video DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Optical Flow in Mostly Rigid Scenes

Wulff, J., Sevilla-Lara, L., Black, M. J.

In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, pages: 6911-6920, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

Abstract

The optical flow of natural scenes is a combination of the motion of the observer and the independent motion of objects. Existing algorithms typically focus on either recovering motion and structure under the assumption of a purely static world or optical flow for general unconstrained scenes. We combine these approaches in an optical flow algorithm that estimates an explicit segmentation of moving objects from appearance and physical constraints. In static regions we take advantage of strong constraints to jointly estimate the camera motion and the 3D structure of the scene over multiple frames. This allows us to also regularize the structure instead of the motion. Our formulation uses a Plane+Parallax framework, which works even under small baselines, and reduces the motion estimation to a one-dimensional search problem, resulting in more accurate estimation. In moving regions the flow is treated as unconstrained, and computed with an existing optical flow method. The resulting Mostly-Rigid Flow (MR-Flow) method achieves state-of-the-art results on both the MPISintel and KITTI-2015 benchmarks.

pdf SupMat video code Project Page [BibTex]

ps Wulff, J., Sevilla-Lara, L., Black, M. J. Optical Flow in Mostly Rigid Scenes In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, pages: 6911-6920, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

pdf SupMat video code Project Page [BibTex]

OctNet: Learning Deep 3D Representations at High Resolutions

Riegler, G., Ulusoy, O., Geiger, A.

Abstract

We present OctNet, a representation for deep learning with sparse 3D data. In contrast to existing models, our representation enables 3D convolutional networks which are both deep and high resolution. Towards this goal, we exploit the sparsity in the input data to hierarchically partition the space using a set of unbalanced octrees where each leaf node stores a pooled feature representation. This allows to focus memory allocation and computation to the relevant dense regions and enables deeper networks without compromising resolution. We demonstrate the utility of our OctNet representation by analyzing the impact of resolution on several 3D tasks including 3D object classification, orientation estimation and point cloud labeling.

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pdf suppmat Project Page Video Project Page [BibTex]

avg ps Riegler, G., Ulusoy, O., Geiger, A. OctNet: Learning Deep 3D Representations at High Resolutions In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

pdf suppmat Project Page Video Project Page [BibTex]

Flexible Spatio-Temporal Networks for Video Prediction

Lu, C., Hirsch, M., Schölkopf, B.

Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, pages: 2137-2145, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (conference)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

ei Lu, C., Hirsch, M., Schölkopf, B. Flexible Spatio-Temporal Networks for Video Prediction Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, pages: 2137-2145, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (conference)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Reflectance Adaptive Filtering Improves Intrinsic Image Estimation

Nestmeyer, T., Gehler, P. V.

In 2017 IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), pages: 1771-1780, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

pre-print DOI Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

ps Nestmeyer, T., Gehler, P. V. Reflectance Adaptive Filtering Improves Intrinsic Image Estimation In 2017 IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), pages: 1771-1780, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

pre-print DOI Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

A Multi-View Stereo Benchmark with High-Resolution Images and Multi-Camera Videos

Schöps, T., Schönberger, J. L., Galliani, S., Sattler, T., Schindler, K., Pollefeys, M., Geiger, A.

Abstract

Motivated by the limitations of existing multi-view stereo benchmarks, we present a novel dataset for this task. Towards this goal, we recorded a variety of indoor and outdoor scenes using a high-precision laser scanner and captured both high-resolution DSLR imagery as well as synchronized low-resolution stereo videos with varying fields-of-view. To align the images with the laser scans, we propose a robust technique which minimizes photometric errors conditioned on the geometry. In contrast to previous datasets, our benchmark provides novel challenges and covers a diverse set of viewpoints and scene types, ranging from natural scenes to man-made indoor and outdoor environments. Furthermore, we provide data at significantly higher temporal and spatial resolution. Our benchmark is the first to cover the important use case of hand-held mobile devices while also providing high-resolution DSLR camera images. We make our datasets and an online evaluation server available at http://www.eth3d.net.

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pdf suppmat Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

avg Schöps, T., Schönberger, J. L., Galliani, S., Sattler, T., Schindler, K., Pollefeys, M., Geiger, A. A Multi-View Stereo Benchmark with High-Resolution Images and Multi-Camera Videos In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

pdf suppmat Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

Detailed, accurate, human shape estimation from clothed 3D scan sequences

Zhang, C., Pujades, S., Black, M., Pons-Moll, G.

In 2017 IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), IEEE Computer Society, Washington, DC, USA, IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017, Spotlight (inproceedings)

Abstract

We address the problem of estimating human body shape from 3D scans over time. Reliable estimation of 3D body shape is necessary for many applications including virtual try-on, health monitoring, and avatar creation for virtual reality. Scanning bodies in minimal clothing, however, presents a practical barrier to these applications. We address this problem by estimating body shape under clothing from a sequence of 3D scans. Previous methods that have exploited statistical models of body shape produce overly smooth shapes lacking personalized details. In this paper we contribute a new approach to recover not only an approximate shape of the person, but also their detailed shape. Our approach allows the estimated shape to deviate from a parametric model to fit the 3D scans. We demonstrate the method using high quality 4D data as well as sequences of visual hulls extracted from multi-view images. We also make available a new high quality 4D dataset that enables quantitative evaluation. Our method outperforms the previous state of the art, both qualitatively and quantitatively.

arxiv_preprint video dataset pdf supplemental DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ps Zhang, C., Pujades, S., Black, M., Pons-Moll, G. Detailed, accurate, human shape estimation from clothed 3D scan sequences In 2017 IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), IEEE Computer Society, Washington, DC, USA, IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017, Spotlight (inproceedings)

arxiv_preprint video dataset pdf supplemental DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Discovering Causal Signals in Images

Lopez-Paz, D., Nishihara, R., Chintala, S., Schölkopf, B., Bottou, L.

Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, pages: 58-66, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (conference)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

ei Lopez-Paz, D., Nishihara, R., Chintala, S., Schölkopf, B., Bottou, L. Discovering Causal Signals in Images Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, pages: 58-66, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (conference)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

3D Menagerie: Modeling the 3D Shape and Pose of Animals

Zuffi, S., Kanazawa, A., Jacobs, D., Black, M. J.

In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, pages: 5524-5532, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

Abstract

There has been significant work on learning realistic, articulated, 3D models of the human body. In contrast, there are few such models of animals, despite many applications. The main challenge is that animals are much less cooperative than humans. The best human body models are learned from thousands of 3D scans of people in specific poses, which is infeasible with live animals. Consequently, we learn our model from a small set of 3D scans of toy figurines in arbitrary poses. We employ a novel part-based shape model to compute an initial registration to the scans. We then normalize their pose, learn a statistical shape model, and refine the registrations and the model together. In this way, we accurately align animal scans from different quadruped families with very different shapes and poses. With the registration to a common template we learn a shape space representing animals including lions, cats, dogs, horses, cows and hippos. Animal shapes can be sampled from the model, posed, animated, and fit to data. We demonstrate generalization by fitting it to images of real animals including species not seen in training.

pdf video Project Page [BibTex]

ps Zuffi, S., Kanazawa, A., Jacobs, D., Black, M. J. 3D Menagerie: Modeling the 3D Shape and Pose of Animals In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, pages: 5524-5532, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

pdf video Project Page [BibTex]

Toroidal Constraints for Two Point Localization Under High Outlier Ratios

Camposeco, F., Sattler, T., Cohen, A., Geiger, A., Pollefeys, M.

Abstract

Localizing a query image against a 3D model at large scale is a hard problem, since 2D-3D matches become more and more ambiguous as the model size increases. This creates a need for pose estimation strategies that can handle very low inlier ratios. In this paper, we draw new insights on the geometric information available from the 2D-3D matching process. As modern descriptors are not invariant against large variations in viewpoint, we are able to find the rays in space used to triangulate a given point that are closest to a query descriptor. It is well known that two correspondences constrain the camera to lie on the surface of a torus. Adding the knowledge of direction of triangulation, we are able to approximate the position of the camera from \emphtwo matches alone. We derive a geometric solver that can compute this position in under 1 microsecond. Using this solver, we propose a simple yet powerful outlier filter which scales quadratically in the number of matches. We validate the accuracy of our solver and demonstrate the usefulness of our method in real world settings.

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pdf suppmat Project Page Project Page [BibTex]

avg Camposeco, F., Sattler, T., Cohen, A., Geiger, A., Pollefeys, M. Toroidal Constraints for Two Point Localization Under High Outlier Ratios In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

pdf suppmat Project Page pdf Project Page [BibTex]

Optical Flow Estimation using a Spatial Pyramid Network

Ranjan, A., Black, M.

Abstract

We learn to compute optical flow by combining a classical spatial-pyramid formulation with deep learning. This estimates large motions in a coarse-to-fine approach by warping one image of a pair at each pyramid level by the current flow estimate and computing an update to the flow. Instead of the standard minimization of an objective function at each pyramid level, we train one deep network per level to compute the flow update. Unlike the recent FlowNet approach, the networks do not need to deal with large motions; these are dealt with by the pyramid. This has several advantages. First, our Spatial Pyramid Network (SPyNet) is much simpler and 96% smaller than FlowNet in terms of model parameters. This makes it more efficient and appropriate for embedded applications. Second, since the flow at each pyramid level is small (< 1 pixel), a convolutional approach applied to pairs of warped images is appropriate. Third, unlike FlowNet, the learned convolution filters appear similar to classical spatio-temporal filters, giving insight into the method and how to improve it. Our results are more accurate than FlowNet on most standard benchmarks, suggesting a new direction of combining classical flow methods with deep learning.

pdf SupMat project/code [BibTex]

ps Ranjan, A., Black, M. Optical Flow Estimation using a Spatial Pyramid Network In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

pdf SupMat project/code [BibTex]

Multiple People Tracking by Lifted Multicut and Person Re-identification

Tang, S., Andriluka, M., Andres, B., Schiele, B.

In 2017 IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), pages: 3701-3710, IEEE Computer Society, Washington, DC, USA, IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ps Tang, S., Andriluka, M., Andres, B., Schiele, B. Multiple People Tracking by Lifted Multicut and Person Re-identification In 2017 IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), pages: 3701-3710, IEEE Computer Society, Washington, DC, USA, IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Video Propagation Networks

Jampani, V., Gadde, R., Gehler, P. V.

pdf supplementary arXiv project page code Project Page [BibTex]

ps Jampani, V., Gadde, R., Gehler, P. V. Video Propagation Networks In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

pdf supplementary arXiv project page code Project Page [BibTex]

Dynamic Time-of-Flight

Schober, M., Adam, A., Yair, O., Mazor, S., Nowozin, S.

Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, pages: 170-179, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (conference)

ei pn

DOI [BibTex]

ei pn Schober, M., Adam, A., Yair, O., Mazor, S., Nowozin, S. Dynamic Time-of-Flight Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, pages: 170-179, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (conference)

DOI [BibTex]

Generating Descriptions with Grounded and Co-Referenced People

Rohrbach, A., Rohrbach, M., Tang, S., Oh, S. J., Schiele, B.

In 2017 IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), pages: 4196-4206, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

PDF DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ps Rohrbach, A., Rohrbach, M., Tang, S., Oh, S. J., Schiele, B. Generating Descriptions with Grounded and Co-Referenced People In 2017 IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), pages: 4196-4206, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

PDF DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Semantic Multi-view Stereo: Jointly Estimating Objects and Voxels

Ulusoy, A. O., Black, M. J., Geiger, A.

Abstract

Dense 3D reconstruction from RGB images is a highly ill-posed problem due to occlusions, textureless or reflective surfaces, as well as other challenges. We propose object-level shape priors to address these ambiguities. Towards this goal, we formulate a probabilistic model that integrates multi-view image evidence with 3D shape information from multiple objects. Inference in this model yields a dense 3D reconstruction of the scene as well as the existence and precise 3D pose of the objects in it. Our approach is able to recover fine details not captured in the input shapes while defaulting to the input models in occluded regions where image evidence is weak. Due to its probabilistic nature, the approach is able to cope with the approximate geometry of the 3D models as well as input shapes that are not present in the scene. We evaluate the approach quantitatively on several challenging indoor and outdoor datasets.

avg ps

YouTube pdf suppmat Project Page [BibTex]

avg ps Ulusoy, A. O., Black, M. J., Geiger, A. Semantic Multi-view Stereo: Jointly Estimating Objects and Voxels In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

YouTube pdf suppmat Project Page [BibTex]

Deep representation learning for human motion prediction and classification

Bütepage, J., Black, M., Kragic, D., Kjellström, H.

Abstract

Generative models of 3D human motion are often restricted to a small number of activities and can therefore not generalize well to novel movements or applications. In this work we propose a deep learning framework for human motion capture data that learns a generic representation from a large corpus of motion capture data and generalizes well to new, unseen, motions. Using an encoding-decoding network that learns to predict future 3D poses from the most recent past, we extract a feature representation of human motion. Most work on deep learning for sequence prediction focuses on video and speech. Since skeletal data has a different structure, we present and evaluate different network architectures that make different assumptions about time dependencies and limb correlations. To quantify the learned features, we use the output of different layers for action classification and visualize the receptive fields of the network units. Our method outperforms the recent state of the art in skeletal motion prediction even though these use action specific training data. Our results show that deep feedforward networks, trained from a generic mocap database, can successfully be used for feature extraction from human motion data and that this representation can be used as a foundation for classification and prediction.

arXiv Project Page [BibTex]

ps Bütepage, J., Black, M., Kragic, D., Kjellström, H. Deep representation learning for human motion prediction and classification In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

arXiv Project Page [BibTex]

Unite the People: Closing the Loop Between 3D and 2D Human Representations

Lassner, C., Romero, J., Kiefel, M., Bogo, F., Black, M. J., Gehler, P. V.

Abstract

3D models provide a common ground for different representations of human bodies. In turn, robust 2D estimation has proven to be a powerful tool to obtain 3D fits “in-the-wild”. However, depending on the level of detail, it can be hard to impossible to acquire labeled data for training 2D estimators on large scale. We propose a hybrid approach to this problem: with an extended version of the recently introduced SMPLify method, we obtain high quality 3D body model fits for multiple human pose datasets. Human annotators solely sort good and bad fits. This procedure leads to an initial dataset, UP-3D, with rich annotations. With a comprehensive set of experiments, we show how this data can be used to train discriminative models that produce results with an unprecedented level of detail: our models predict 31 segments and 91 landmark locations on the body. Using the 91 landmark pose estimator, we present state-of-the art results for 3D human pose and shape estimation using an order of magnitude less training data and without assumptions about gender or pose in the fitting procedure. We show that UP-3D can be enhanced with these improved fits to grow in quantity and quality, which makes the system deployable on large scale. The data, code and models are available for research purposes.

arXiv project/code/data Project Page [BibTex]

ps Lassner, C., Romero, J., Kiefel, M., Bogo, F., Black, M. J., Gehler, P. V. Unite the People: Closing the Loop Between 3D and 2D Human Representations In Proceedings IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, USA, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017 (inproceedings)

arXiv project/code/data Project Page [BibTex]

Locomotion of light-driven soft microrobots through a hydrogel via local melting

Palagi, S., Mark, A. G., Melde, K., Qiu, T., Zeng, H., Parmeggiani, C., Martella, D., Wiersma, D. S., Fischer, P.

In 2017 International Conference on Manipulation, Automation and Robotics at Small Scales (MARSS), pages: 1-5, July 2017 (inproceedings)

Abstract

Soft mobile microrobots whose deformation can be directly controlled by an external field can adapt to move in different environments. This is the case for the light-driven microrobots based on liquid-crystal elastomers (LCEs). Here we show that the soft microrobots can move through an agarose hydrogel by means of light-controlled travelling-wave motions. This is achieved by exploiting the inherent rise of the LCE temperature above the melting temperature of the agarose gel, which facilitates penetration of the microrobot through the hydrogel. The locomotion performance is investigated as a function of the travelling-wave parameters, showing that effective propulsion can be obtained by adapting the generated motion to the specific environmental conditions.

DOI [BibTex]

pf Palagi, S., Mark, A. G., Melde, K., Qiu, T., Zeng, H., Parmeggiani, C., Martella, D., Wiersma, D. S., Fischer, P. Locomotion of light-driven soft microrobots through a hydrogel via local melting In 2017 International Conference on Manipulation, Automation and Robotics at Small Scales (MARSS), pages: 1-5, July 2017 (inproceedings)

DOI [BibTex]

Strategic exploration in human adaptive control

Schulz, E., Klenske, E., Bramley, N., Speekenbrink, M.

Proceedings of the 39th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (CogSci), (Editors: Glenn Gunzelmann, Andrew Howes, Thora Tenbrink and Eddy J. Davelaar), cognitivesciencesociety.org, July 2017 (conference)

link (url) [BibTex]

ei Schulz, E., Klenske, E., Bramley, N., Speekenbrink, M. Strategic exploration in human adaptive control Proceedings of the 39th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (CogSci), (Editors: Glenn Gunzelmann, Andrew Howes, Thora Tenbrink and Eddy J. Davelaar), cognitivesciencesociety.org, July 2017 (conference)

link (url) [BibTex]

Event-based State Estimation: An Emulation-based Approach

Trimpe, S.

IET Control Theory & Applications, 11(11):1684-1693, July 2017 (article)

Abstract

An event-based state estimation approach for reducing communication in a networked control system is proposed. Multiple distributed sensor agents observe a dynamic process and sporadically transmit their measurements to estimator agents over a shared bus network. Local event-triggering protocols ensure that data is transmitted only when necessary to meet a desired estimation accuracy. The event-based design is shown to emulate the performance of a centralised state observer design up to guaranteed bounds, but with reduced communication. The stability results for state estimation are extended to the distributed control system that results when the local estimates are used for feedback control. Results from numerical simulations and hardware experiments illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in reducing network communication.

am ics

arXiv Supplementary material PDF DOI Project Page [BibTex]

am ics Trimpe, S. Event-based State Estimation: An Emulation-based Approach IET Control Theory & Applications, 11(11):1684-1693, July 2017 (article)

arXiv Supplementary material PDF DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Learning Movement Primitive Libraries through Probabilistic Segmentation

Lioutikov, R., Neumann, G., Maeda, G., Peters, J.

International Journal of Robotics Research, 36(8):879-894, July 2017 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ei Lioutikov, R., Neumann, G., Maeda, G., Peters, J. Learning Movement Primitive Libraries through Probabilistic Segmentation International Journal of Robotics Research, 36(8):879-894, July 2017 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Design of a Parallel Continuum Manipulator for 6-DOF Fingertip Haptic Display

Young, E. M., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

In Proceedings of the IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC), pages: 599-604, Munich, Germany, June 2017, Finalist for best poster paper (inproceedings)

Abstract

Despite rapid advancements in the field of fingertip haptics, rendering tactile cues with six degrees of freedom (6 DOF) remains an elusive challenge. In this paper, we investigate the potential of displaying fingertip haptic sensations with a 6-DOF parallel continuum manipulator (PCM) that mounts to the user's index finger and moves a contact platform around the fingertip. Compared to traditional mechanisms composed of rigid links and discrete joints, PCMs have the potential to be strong, dexterous, and compact, but they are also more complicated to design. We define the design space of 6-DOF parallel continuum manipulators and outline a process for refining such a device for fingertip haptic applications. Following extensive simulation, we obtain 12 designs that meet our specifications, construct a manually actuated prototype of one such design, and evaluate the simulation's ability to accurately predict the prototype's motion. Finally, we demonstrate the range of deliverable fingertip tactile cues, including a normal force into the finger and shear forces tangent to the finger at three extreme points on the boundary of the fingertip.

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

hi Young, E. M., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Design of a Parallel Continuum Manipulator for 6-DOF Fingertip Haptic Display In Proceedings of the IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC), pages: 599-604, Munich, Germany, June 2017, Finalist for best poster paper (inproceedings)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

High Magnitude Unidirectional Haptic Force Display Using a Motor/Brake Pair and a Cable

Hu, S., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

In Proceedings of the IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC), pages: 394-399, Munich, Germany, June 2017 (inproceedings)

Abstract

Clever electromechanical design is required to make the force feedback delivered by a kinesthetic haptic interface both strong and safe. This paper explores a onedimensional haptic force display that combines a DC motor and a magnetic particle brake on the same shaft. Rather than a rigid linkage, a spooled cable connects the user to the actuators to enable a large workspace, reduce the moving mass, and eliminate the sticky residual force from the brake. This design combines the high torque/power ratio of the brake and the active output capabilities of the motor to provide a wider range of forces than can be achieved with either actuator alone. A prototype of this device was built, its performance was characterized, and it was used to simulate constant force sources and virtual springs and dampers. Compared to the conventional design of using only a motor, the hybrid device can output higher unidirectional forces at the expense of free space feeling less free.

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

hi Hu, S., Kuchenbecker, K. J. High Magnitude Unidirectional Haptic Force Display Using a Motor/Brake Pair and a Cable In Proceedings of the IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC), pages: 394-399, Munich, Germany, June 2017 (inproceedings)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Dynamic analysis on hexapedal water-running robot with compliant joints

Kim, H., Liu, Y., Jeong, K., Sitti, M., Seo, T.

In 2017 14th International Conference on Ubiquitous Robots and Ambient Intelligence (URAI), pages: 250-251, June 2017 (inproceedings)

Abstract

The dynamic analysis has been considered as one of the important design methods to design robots. In this research, we derive dynamic equation of hexapedal water-running robot to design compliant joints. The compliant joints that connect three bodies will be used to improve mobility and stability of water-running motion's pitch behavior. We considered all of parts as rigid body including links of six Klann mechanisms and three main frames. And then, we derived dynamic equation by using the Lagrangian method with external force of the water. We are expecting that the dynamic analysis is going to be used to design parts of the water running robot.

DOI [BibTex]

pi Kim, H., Liu, Y., Jeong, K., Sitti, M., Seo, T. Dynamic analysis on hexapedal water-running robot with compliant joints In 2017 14th International Conference on Ubiquitous Robots and Ambient Intelligence (URAI), pages: 250-251, June 2017 (inproceedings)

DOI [BibTex]

Soiled adhesive pads shear clean by slipping: a robust self-cleaning mechanism in climbing beetles

Amador, G., Endlein, T., Sitti, M.

Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 14(131):20170134, The Royal Society, June 2017 (article)

Abstract

Animals using adhesive pads to climb smooth surfaces face the problem of keeping their pads clean and functional. Here, a self-cleaning mechanism is proposed whereby soiled feet would slip on the surface due to a lack of adhesion but shed particles in return. Our study offers an in situ quantification of self-cleaning performance in fibrillar adhesives, using the dock beetle as a model organism. After beetles soiled their pads by stepping into patches of spherical beads, we found that their gait was significantly affected. Specifically, soiled pads slipped 10 times further than clean pads, with more particles deposited for longer slips. Like previous studies, we found that particle size affected cleaning performance. Large (45 μm) beads were removed most effectively, followed by medium (10 μm) and small (1 μm). Consistent with our results from climbing beetles, force measurements on freshly severed legs revealed larger detachment forces of medium particles from adhesive pads compared to a flat surface, possibly due to interlocking between fibres. By contrast, dock leaves showed an overall larger affinity to the beads and thus reduced the need for cleaning. Self-cleaning through slippage provides a mechanism robust to particle size and may inspire solutions for artificial adhesives.

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

pi Amador, G., Endlein, T., Sitti, M. Soiled adhesive pads shear clean by slipping: a robust self-cleaning mechanism in climbing beetles Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 14(131):20170134, The Royal Society, June 2017 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Non-Equilibrium Assembly of Light-Activated Colloidal Mixtures

Singh, D. P., Choudhury, U., Fischer, P., Mark, A. G.

Advanced Materials, 29, pages: 1701328, June 2017, 32 (article)

Abstract

The collective phenomena exhibited by artificial active matter systems present novel routes to fabricating out-of-equilibrium microscale assemblies. Here, the crystallization of passive silica colloids into well-controlled 2D assemblies is shown, which is directed by a small number of self-propelled active colloids. The active colloids are titania–silica Janus particles that are propelled when illuminated by UV light. The strength of the attractive interaction and thus the extent of the assembled clusters can be regulated by the light intensity. A remarkably small number of the active colloids is sufficient to induce the assembly of the dynamic crystals. The approach produces rationally designed colloidal clusters and crystals with controllable sizes, shapes, and symmetries. This multicomponent active matter system offers the possibility of obtaining structures and assemblies that cannot be found in equilibrium systems.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

pf Singh, D. P., Choudhury, U., Fischer, P., Mark, A. G. Non-Equilibrium Assembly of Light-Activated Colloidal Mixtures Advanced Materials, 29, pages: 1701328, June 2017, 32 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Yield prediction in parallel homogeneous assembly

Ipparthi, D., Winslow, A., Sitti, M., Dorigo, M., Mastrangeli, M.

Soft Matter, 13, pages: 7595-7608, The Royal Society of Chemistry, June 2017 (article)

Abstract

We investigate the parallel assembly of two-dimensional{,} geometrically-closed modular target structures out of homogeneous sets of macroscopic components of varying anisotropy. The yield predicted by a chemical reaction network (CRN)-based model is quantitatively shown to reproduce experimental results over a large set of conditions. Scaling laws for parallel assembling systems are then derived from the model. By extending the validity of the CRN-based modelling{,} this work prompts analysis and solutions to the incompatible substructure problem.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

pi Ipparthi, D., Winslow, A., Sitti, M., Dorigo, M., Mastrangeli, M. Yield prediction in parallel homogeneous assembly Soft Matter, 13, pages: 7595-7608, The Royal Society of Chemistry, June 2017 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Nanodiamonds That Swim

Kim, J. T., Choudhury, U., Hyeon-Ho, J., Fischer, P.

Advanced Materials, 29(30):1701024, June 2017, Back Cover (article)

Abstract

Nanodiamonds are emerging as nanoscale quantum probes for bio-sensing and imaging. This necessitates the development of new methods to accurately manipulate their position and orientation in aqueous solutions. The realization of an “active” nanodiamond (ND) swimmer in fluids, composed of a ND crystal containing nitrogen vacancy centers and a light-driven self-thermophoretic micromotor, is reported. The swimmer is propelled by a local temperature gradient created by laser illumination on its metal-coated side. Its locomotion—from translational to rotational motion—is successfully controlled by shape-dependent hydrodynamic interactions. The precise engineering of the swimmer's geometry is achieved by self-assembly combined with physical vapor shadow growth. The optical addressability of the suspended ND swimmers is demonstrated by observing the electron spin resonance in the presence of magnetic fields. Active motion at the nanoscale enables new sensing capabilities combined with active transport including, potentially, in living organisms.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

pf Kim, J. T., Choudhury, U., Hyeon-Ho, J., Fischer, P. Nanodiamonds That Swim Advanced Materials, 29(30):1701024, June 2017, Back Cover (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Three‐dimensional patterning in biomedicine: Importance and applications in neuropharmacology

Ajay, V. S., Tanmay, G., Madu, B., Byung‐Wook, P., Thomas, E., Metin, S.

Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials, 106(3):1369-1382, June 2017 (article)

Abstract

Abstract Nature manufactures biological systems in three dimensions with precisely controlled spatiotemporal profiles on hierarchical length and time scales. In this article, we review 3D patterning of biological systems on synthetic platforms for neuropharmacological applications. We briefly describe 3D versus 2D chemical and topographical patterning methods and their limitations. Subsequently, an overview of introducing a third dimension in neuropharmacological research with delineation of chemical and topographical roles is presented. Finally, toward the end of this article, an explanation of how 3D patterning has played a pivotal role in relevant fields of neuropharmacology to understand neurophysiology during development, normal health, and disease conditions is described. The future prospects of organs‐on‐a‐‐like devices to mimic patterned blood–brain barrier in the context of neurotherapeutic discovery and development for the prioritization of lead candidates, membrane potential, and toxicity testing are also described. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1369–1382, 2018.

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

pi Ajay, V. S., Tanmay, G., Madu, B., Byung‐Wook, P., Thomas, E., Metin, S. Three‐dimensional patterning in biomedicine: Importance and applications in neuropharmacology Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials, 106(3):1369-1382, June 2017 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Physically Interactive Exercise Games with a Baxter Robot

Fitter, N. T., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

Hands-on demonstration presented at the IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC), Munich, Germany, June 2017 (misc)

Project Page [BibTex]

hi Fitter, N. T., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Physically Interactive Exercise Games with a Baxter Robot Hands-on demonstration presented at the IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC), Munich, Germany, June 2017 (misc)

Project Page [BibTex]

Perception of Force and Stiffness in the Presence of Low-Frequency Haptic Noise

Gurari, N., Okamura, A. M., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

PLoS ONE, 12(6):e0178605, June 2017 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

hi Gurari, N., Okamura, A. M., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Perception of Force and Stiffness in the Presence of Low-Frequency Haptic Noise PLoS ONE, 12(6):e0178605, June 2017 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

A Wrist-Squeezing Force-Feedback System for Robotic Surgery Training

Brown, J. D., Fernandez, J. N., Cohen, S. P., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

In Proceedings of the IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC), pages: 107-112, Munich, Germany, June 2017 (inproceedings)

Abstract

Over time, surgical trainees learn to compensate for the lack of haptic feedback in commercial robotic minimally invasive surgical systems. Incorporating touch cues into robotic surgery training could potentially shorten this learning process if the benefits of haptic feedback were sustained after it is removed. In this paper, we develop a wrist-squeezing haptic feedback system and evaluate whether it holds the potential to train novice da Vinci users to reduce the force they exert on a bimanual inanimate training task. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups according to a multiple baseline experimental design. Each of the ten participants moved a ring along a curved wire nine times while the haptic feedback was conditionally withheld, provided, and withheld again. The realtime tactile feedback of applied force magnitude significantly reduced the integral of the force produced by the da Vinci tools on the task materials, and this result remained even when the haptic feedback was removed. Overall, our findings suggest that wrist-squeezing force feedback can play an essential role in helping novice trainees learn to minimize the force they exert with a surgical robot.

DOI [BibTex]

hi Brown, J. D., Fernandez, J. N., Cohen, S. P., Kuchenbecker, K. J. A Wrist-Squeezing Force-Feedback System for Robotic Surgery Training In Proceedings of the IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC), pages: 107-112, Munich, Germany, June 2017 (inproceedings)

DOI [BibTex]

Handling Scan-Time Parameters in Haptic Surface Classification

Burka, A., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

In Proceedings of the IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC), pages: 424-429, Munich, Germany, June 2017 (inproceedings)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

hi Burka, A., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Handling Scan-Time Parameters in Haptic Surface Classification In Proceedings of the IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC), pages: 424-429, Munich, Germany, June 2017 (inproceedings)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Proton Pack: Visuo-Haptic Surface Data Recording

Burka, A., Kuchenbecker, K. J.

Hands-on demonstration presented at the IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC), Munich, Germany, June 2017 (misc)

Project Page [BibTex]

hi Burka, A., Kuchenbecker, K. J. Proton Pack: Visuo-Haptic Surface Data Recording Hands-on demonstration presented at the IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC), Munich, Germany, June 2017 (misc)

Project Page [BibTex]

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