Section of Media Technology, Aalborg

The Section for Media Technology, Aalborg focuses on research within advanced technologies and the interplay between such technologies and end-users. The research activities cover both basic research as well as applied research centered around real world problems. We address a variety of problems in different domains, with a special focus on healthcare, robotics and analytics. The research activities are grouped into the four main areas: Audio Processing & Music Informatics, Computer Graphics, Computer Vision, and Human Machine Interaction.

It all starts with technology

At the core of our welfare society stands technology and its interplay with all aspects of life ranging from the production industry, over the public sector to entertainment. We conduct research into existing as well as novel algorithms and paradigms related to technology in general, but in particular within some of the core media technology components, namely audio analysis, computer vision and computer graphics. The two former are rooted in the key competences of humans; the ability to hear and the ability to see. Our work here has a starting point in signal processing, math and algorithms. The different research avenues have traditionally been centered on model-based approaches, but in recent years, data-driven approaches have been equally important. This trend follows a general trend in computer science and engineering where massive amounts of data and the rise of modern AI have affected many aspects of science. Computer graphics, on the other hand, has its origin in synthesis of visual data and our research in this exiting domain ranges from new display technologies, especially head-mounted displays, over photorealistic rendering of shadows to real-time data visualization.

The interplay between technology and end-users

A large portion of technology is developed for direct use by end-users and it is therefore critical that technologies and the services they offer are useable by end-users. Moreover, for future technologies and services – for example social robots – the end-users require the technology to operate as expected, which often means similar to how a human would act/respond. One of the important research frontiers within media technology is therefore to understand and develop intuitive and social acceptable solutions for human-machine interaction. Our research in this direction is rooted in both traditional interactions via tables and smart phones to more advanced platforms like drones and mobile robots.

THOMAS MOESLUND

Head of section tbm@create.aau.dk

RESEARCH GROUPS

Human Machine Interaction

The research group at Create consists of dedicated researchers that investigate challenges regarding cognitive abilities, physical abilities, social rules and practices, as well as environmental parameters that affect or determine human machine interactions. In accordance with AAU’s strategy, the team specializes in applied research with relevant regional and national stakeholders in the areas health, robotics, smart learning and spatial interaction.

Over the last years, the group has built up a strong research expertise in interaction with special needs groups like citizens with traumatic or congenital brain damage, dementia, dyslexia, as well as indigenous groups and kindergarten and school children (primary level).

The group explores different technologies like mobile platforms, robots, wearables, eye-tracking, etc. To this end we work closely together with external partners focusing on real world challenges. Our research is related to three specific themes (health, learning, space) but often transcends two or all of these themes for a concrete challenge.

WEB: www.hmi.create.aau.dk

Audio Analysis Laboratory

The research group conducts research in audio and acoustic signal processing for good health and well-being. The research focuses on how audio processing can be used to solve problems of importance to the health and well-being of people in their daily lives. These include reducing the influence of noise on our lives and extracting useful information from degraded acoustic signals for biomedical purposes. The laboratory thus works on a wide range of research topics, such as noise reduction, active noise cancellation, sound zones, voice analysis, and spectral analysis. The laboratories activities are funded by grants from the Villum Foundation, Independent Research Fund Denmark, and Innovation Fund Denmark. The various research projects are carried out in close collaboration with leading industrial partners and universities around the world.

WEB: www.audio.create.aau.dk

Computer Graphics Group

Computer graphics is a wide research field which includes not only the generation of all kinds of graphics with all kinds of computers but also user interfaces to interact with computer-generated graphics, image processing, display technologies, and even camera technologies. The computer graphics research group focuses on photorealistic and interactive augmented reality as well as input and output interfaces for virtual reality. We also explore other directions of computer graphics research, for example, architectural visualization, physics-based animation, computer graphics for video games, etc.

WEB: www.graphics.create.aau.dk

Visual Analysis and Perception

The interest of the research group centers around computer vision. Computer vision is the digital version of human vision, where a camera replaces the eyes and algorithms implemented in software replace the brain. The research field of computer vision is about developing and implementing such algorithms. The ambition is not only to replicate the abilities of human visual perception, but also going beyond human capabilities for example by seeing in the dark or measuring the actual distance to an object. We are working on many different computer vision topics, but most of them are focused on automatic camera-based analysis of people and their whereabouts. These activities are collected in the Visual Analysis and Perception laboratory.

PROJECT, MEDIA TECHNOLOGY, AALBORG DECOCHROM

PROJECT PERIOD:

January 2018 – December 2021.

PARTICIPANTS:

University of Lapland / YD Ynvisible S.A. / Sonae Indústria de Revestimentos S.A. / Cardiff University / NOVA ID FCT / Centrum Organicke Chemie Sro / Vertech, Lighting Design Collective SL / VTT Ltd / University of Strasbourg / ThingK / WeProductise / Fraunhofer ISC

FUNDING:

Horizon2020 53mio DKK Department share : 3.7mio DKK

CONTACT PERSON:

Associate Professor Markus Löchtefeld e-mail: mloc@create.aau.dk

WEB:

https://decochrom.com/

DECORATIVE APPLICATIONS FOR SELF-ORGANIZED MOLECULAR ELECTROCHROMIC SYSTEMS

The DecoChrom project elevates printed graphic products to the age of interactivity and empowers the creative industries with the tools and innovative advanced material sets to design and build aesthetically pleasing, practical human interfaces to smart consumer goods and environments. The DecoChrom consortium develops printable electrochromic inks – inks that change their color when electricity is applied - as mass producible, print industry compatible, ultra-low-power interactive graphics solution for ambient intelligence. DecoChrom will introduce electrochromics to designers, makers and the printing industry through Toolkits and Workshops, as well as develop several creative industry-lead end-user prototypes and pilots for architecture, interior design, lifestyle and sports.