Dear Colleagues,

Date and time: 19.11.2021, 14:00.

Location: meeting room on the 4^th floor
                     MS Teams: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YzhiYzBiZDktOWRhYS00ODZkLTgzOTYtNWQ1YzllNmM3OWU0%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2295bdc5ac-afb5-4881-801b-3874f365cd6f%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2278444247-c4a9-42ca-b4dd-d09f8b58c826%22%7d

Speaker: Fabio Solari, University of Genoa, Italy

Title: Computational Models for Ecological Perception in Virtual and Augmented Reality

Abstract:

A bio-inspired computational model of visual perception for action tasks is proposed to provide clues to better design virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) systems. The proposed neural model is based on space-variant mapping, disparity, and optic flow computation by implementing paradigms of the dorsal visual processing stream. The cortical representation of the visual information is directly exploited to infer features related to the real world without devising ad-hoc computer vision algorithms. 
Besides artificial vision applications, the proposed model can mimic and describe human behavioral data of both motion and depth perception.By leveraging previous outcomes, we can employ the modeled perception to improve the experience in VR and AR environments: in particular, to implement a foveated depth-of-field blur that mitigates cybersickness.

Bio:

Fabio Solari is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics, and Systems Engineering of the University of Genoa, Italy. 
His research activity concerns the study of visual perception to design novel bio-inspired artificial vision systems and to develop natural human-computer interactions in virtual and augmented reality. In particular, his research interests are related to computational models of motion and depth estimation, space-variant visual processing, and scene interpretation. Such models can replicate relevant aspects of human experimental data. This can help to improve virtual and augmented reality systems to provide a natural perception. Moreover, he is interested in the perceptual assessment of virtual/augmented reality systems, with specific attention to the perceptual and cognitive aspects, and in the development of systems that allow a natural experience and ecological human-computer interactions.
Currently, he is the principal investigator of three international projects: Interreg Alcotra CLIP ``E-Santé/Silver Economy'', PROSOL ``Jeune'', and PROSOL ``Senior''. He has participated in five European projects: FP7-ICT, EYESHOTS, and SEARISE; FP6-IST-FET, DRIVSCO; FP6-NEST, MCCOOP; FP5-IST-FET, ECOVISION. He is a reviewer for Italian PRIN and FIRB projects, and Marie Curie fellowships. He was general chair of the Fourth IEEE International Conference on Image Processing, Applications and Systems (IPAS 2020) 9-11 December 2020, Genova, Italy.  He has a pending International Patent Application (WO2013088390) on augmented reality, and two Italian Patent Applications on virtual (No. 0001423036) and augmented (No. 0001409382) reality.