Shape Acquisition - Shape is a fundamental characteristic
of most things. My early interest in this area began with the
Digital Michelangelo project, where we captured extremely high resolution
models of Michelangelo's statues. Since then I have worked on methods for
capturing moving objects, those with arbitrary reflectance functions,
increasing accuracy, and modeling people. In robotics applications, I
worked on methods for better robustness in the face of ambient
illumination. A long term goal is to be able to measure the shape of
any object, including those that are transparent, highly reflective,
and/or with substantial subsurface scattering.
Motion Capture - The ability to accurately and unobtrusively
measure how people are moving would change everything about how we
interact with technology. We could keep records of live dance
performances, monitor factory worker safety, help diagnose knee injuries,
and interact with computers by pointing. I've worked on both marker based
and markerless motion capture systems. These have used a diverse set of
input data including cameras, 3D shape sensors, and hand drawings.
Computational Photography - Digital cameras are
producing a dramatic revolution in the way people think about image
formation. Digital cameras are no longer merely replacements for film
cameras. Instead they are sensors that record millions of samples
of photonic information inexpensively. By computing on this
information, we can build new scientific sensors and new tools for artists
to better control their image than an standard camera would provide. I
worked on early panoramic stitching methods which are now commonplace in
consumer cameras. I currently have projects related to relighting, stabilization,
video matting, and novel sensors.
Technology for Social Change - I am
fundamentally driven by a desire to change the world: peace, hunger,
poverty, disease... Technology in general has been changing the world
faster than any other force. I've started a new class at UCSC on
Technology Targeted at Social Issues (CMPS80J), principally to get
students (and faculty) thinking about how existing technologies might be
applied, and what new technologies are needed. I am now working to build
the coalition needed to establish a Social Entrepreneurship degree program
on campus.
What does computer graphics have to do with
this? Visual communication is a powerful method for changing what people
know, how they think, and what they do. To give one example, I currently
act as an advisor to VSeeLab Inc. who markets desktop video communication
software. This software was used by the UN food program after the
Indonesian tsunami, by hospitals in Afghanistan, and by the US Navy during
humanitarian training exercises.
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