Computer Vision Distinguished Speaker Series
A Vision of Vision

Dr. Allen Hanson
Monday, April 24, 2006
2:00PM - Garden Key 221AB, Student Union

Abstract


For the past thirty years, research in the Computer Vision Lab at UMass has focused on research issues surrounding the construction of integrated vision systems that are capable of functioning flexibly and robustly in complex changing environments. This research has been conducted by means of a series of applications that expose interesting research issues while supporting pursuit of our primary intellectual goals. Relevant aspects of some of this work will be reviewed in the context of modern approaches to vision in an attempt to isolate and direct attention to interesting open research questions. The talk will conclude with an introduction to a new application-oriented project in the lab designed to assist elders to .age in place. using vision and robotic technology. Elder assistance is a morally engaging idea and promises to provide a broad playground for integration of many aspects of computer science.

Short Bio


Allen Hanson is Professor of Computer Science and co-director of the Computer Vision Laboratory in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Massachusetts. The Laboratory was established in 1974 with the goal of investigating the scientific principles underlying the construction of integrated vision systems and the application of vision to problems of real-world importance: the emphasis of our work is on vision systems that are capable of functioning flexibly and robustly in complex changing environments. A unifying theme within the laboratory has been integration -- this theme underlies our basic research methodologies as well as driving the development of vision system research environments. The Laboratory is engaged in research across a broad spectrum of areas related to computer vision and robotics, including knowledge-based image understanding, analysis of motion sequences, biomedical image processing, learning in vision, vehicle navigation, parallel architectures for computer vision, image exploitation, and image databases. Hanson is the author of numerous technical papers in these areas, has been on the organizing committee of most of the major vision conferences, and is the founder of Amerinex Applied Imaging Corporation and Dataviews Corporation.

Dr. Allen Hanson Flyer