VISATRAM: a real-time vision system for automatic traffic monitoring
This paper presents a novel approach to automatic traffic monitoring using 2D spatio-temporal images. A TV camera is mounted above a highway to monitor the traffic through two slice windows, and a panoramic view image and an epipolar plane image are formed for each lane. Our real-time vision system for automatic traffic monitoring, VISATRAM, is an inexpensive system with a PC486 and a frame grabber. The system cannot only count vehicles and estimate their speeds but also classify them using 3D measurements. The system has been tested with real road images under various light conditions, including shadows in daytime and lights at night.

title: Building the Software Infrastructure for Smart Classroom: From Open Agent Architecture (OAA) to Smart Platform
abstract: Smart Classroom is a Smart Space developed to enhance tele-education practice. This paper describes the considerations of bringing forward Smart Platform as the software infrastructure of Smart Classroom system, abandoning the former implementation based on OAA. As a multi-agent system for Smart Space, Smart Platform encompasses following features: spontaneous discovery of runtime environment, automatic management and resolving of agent dependencies, combination of delegated communication and peer-to-peer communication, etc. In addition, a surrogate agent on Smart Platform and Metaglue from MIT is now being developed to inter-connect Smart Classroom with MIT's Intelligent Room to extend their functionality.

title: A Speaker Tracking Algorithm Based on Audio and Visual Information Fusion Using Particle Filter
abstract: Object tracking by sensor fusion has become an active research area in recent years, but how to fuse various information in an efficient and robust way is still an open problem. This paper presents a new algorithm for tracking speaker based on audio and visual information fusion using particle filter. A closed-loop architecture with reliability of each individual tracker is adopted, and a new method for data fusion and reliability adjustment is proposed. Experiments show the new algorithm is efficient in fusing information and robust to noise.

title: 3D model based expression tracking in intrinsic expression space
abstract: A method of learning the intrinsic facial expression space for expression tracking is proposed. First, a partial 3D face model is constructed from a trinocular image and the expression space is parameterized using MPEG4 FAP. Then an algorithm of learning the intrinsic expression space from the parameterized FAP space is derived. The resulted intrinsic expression space reduces even to 5 dimensions. We will show that the obtained expression space is superior to the space obtained by PCA. Then the dynamical model is derived and trained on this intrinsic expression space. Finally, the learned tracker is developed in a particle-filter-style tracking framework. Experiments on both synthetic and real videos show that the learned tracker performs stably over a long sequence and the results are encouraging.

title: Smart Remote Classroom: Creating a Revolutionary Real-Time Interactive Distance Learning System
abstract: Real-time interactive virtual classroom is an important type of distance learning. However currently available systems are insufficient in the support of large-scale user access, and neither can they accommodate accessing with heterogeneous devices and networks. Furthermore, these systems are usually desktop-based, which results that the teachers' experience is completely different from teaching in a real classroom. The Smart Remote Classroom project tackles these difficulties through the development of the following technologies: 1) A hybrid application-layer Multicast protocol called TORM and an Adaptive Content Delivery scheme called AMTM. Together they enable large-scale users to access a virtual classroom with different devices and networks at the same time. 2) A dedicated software called SameView, which take use of the proposed TORM and AMTM technology and provide a rich set of functions for teachers and students to efficiently carry out the real-time interactive distance learning. Moreover, SameView can record the whole process of a class into a compound multimedia document for later retrieval and review of the class. 3) An augmented classroom called Smart Classroom, where the user interface of the SameView for the teacher are distributed in and fused with the room space. Thus the teacher can instruct the remote students just like teaching face-to-face in a conventional classroom. All these technologies has been successfully integrated and demonstrated in the prototype system.

title: Learning-Based Tracking of Complex Non-Rigid Motion
abstract: This paper describes a novel method for tracking complex non-rigid motions by learning the intrinsic object structure.The approach builds on and extends the studies on non-linear dimensionality reduction for object representation,object dynamics modeling and particle filter style tracking.First,the dimensionality reduction and density estimation algorithm is derived for unsupervised learning of object intrinsic representation,and the obtained non-rigid part of object state reduces even to 2-3 dimensions.Secondly the dynamical model is derived and trained based on this intrinsic representation.Thirdly the learned intrinsic object structure is integrated into a particle filter style tracker.It is shown that this intrinsic object representation has some interesting properties and based on which the newly derived dynamical model makes particle filter style tracker more robust and reliable.Extensive experiments are done on the tracking of challenging non-rigid motions such as fish twisting with selfocclusion,large inter-frame lip motion and facial expressions with global head rotation.Quantitative results are given to make comparisons between the newly proposed tracker and the existing tracker.The proposed method also has the potential to solve other type of tracking problems.

title: Surface modelling using fourth order geometric flows
abstract: We use two fourth order geometric partial differential equations to efficiently solve several surface modelling problems, including the surface blending, the N-sided hole filling and the free-form surface fitting with the G/sup 1/ boundary continuity. The nonlinear equations used include the surface diffusion flow and the Willmore flow. These nonlinear equations are discretized using the mixed finite element method based on the combination of the loop's basis and the linear basis. The proposed approach is simple, efficient and gives very desirable results.

title: Smooth Shell Construction with Mixed Prism Fat Surfaces
abstract: Several naturally occurring as well as manufactured objects have shell like structures, that is their boundaries consist of surfaces with thickness. In an earlier paper, we have provided a reconstruction algorithm for such shell structures using smooth fat surfaces within three-sided prisms. In this paper, we extend the approach to a scaffolding consisting of three and four-sided prisms. Within each prism the constructed function is converted to a spline representation. In addition to the adaptive feature of our earlier scheme, the new scheme has the following extensions: (a) four sided fat patches are employed; (b) the size of individual fat patches are bigger; (c) fairing techniques are combined to obtain nicely shaped fat surfaces.

title: An Improved Approximation Algorithm for Uncapacitated Facility Location Problem with Penalties
abstract: In this paper, we consider an interesting variant of the facility location problem called uncapacitated facility location problem with penalties (UFLWP for short) in which each client is either assigned to an opened facility or rejected by paying a penalty. We present a 1.8526-approximation algorithm for the UFLWP problem. Our algorithm first enhances the primal-dual method for the UFLWP problem  so that outliers can be recognized more efficiently, and then applies a local search heuristic to further reduce the cost for serving those non-rejected clients.

title: Regular algebraic curve segments (I) - Definitions and characteristics
abstract: In this paper (part one of a trilogy), we introduce the concept of a discriminating family of regular algebraic curves (real, nonsingular and connected). Several discriminating families are obtained which yield different characterizations of the Bernstein–Bezier (BB) bivariate polynomials over the plane triangle and the quadrilateral domain such that their zero contours are smooth and connected. These regular curve segments in BB basis can be smoothly joined together to form algebraic curve splines or A-splines. Algorithms for the efficient graphics display of these new A-spline families are also provided.

title: Regular algebraic curve segments (II) - Interpolation and approximation
abstract: In this paper (part two of the trilogy) we introduce three classes of reduced form D -regular algebraic curve splines and use them for interpolation and approximation of various algebraic curves. Explicit formulas for interpolation and approximation are also given in some low degree cases.