Theses and Dissertations
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- Creators: Turaga, Pavan
On a robot (vehicle) with multiple sensors, sensor fusion algorithms allow us to represent the data in the vehicle frame. But data acquired temporally in the vehicle frame needs to be registered in a global frame to obtain a map of the environment. Mapping techniques involving the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm and the Normal Distributions Transform (NDT) assume that a good initial estimate of the transformation between the 3D scans is available. This restricts the ability to stitch maps that were acquired at different times. Mapping can become flexible if maps that were acquired temporally can be merged later. To this end, the second part of this thesis focuses on developing an automated algorithm that fuses two maps by finding a congruent set of five points forming a pyramid.
Mapping has various application domains beyond Robot Navigation. The third part of this thesis considers a unique application domain where the surface displace- ments caused by an earthquake are to be recovered using pre- and post-earthquake LIDAR data. A technique to recover the 3D surface displacements is developed and the results are presented on real earthquake datasets: El Mayur Cucupa earthquake, Mexico, 2010 and Fukushima earthquake, Japan, 2011.
In this thesis, I explored the interconnected ways in which human experience can shape and be shaped by environments of the future, such as interactive environments and spaces, embedded with sensors, enlivened by advanced algorithms for sensor data processing. I have developed an abstract representational experience into the vast and continual journey through life that shapes how we can use sensory immersion. The experimental work was housed in the iStage: an advanced black box space in the School of Arts, Media, and Engineering, which consists of video cameras, motion capture systems, spatial audio systems, and controllable lighting and projector systems. The malleable and interactive space of the iStage transformed into a reflective tool in which to gain insight into the overall shared, but very individual, emotional odyssey. Additionally, I surveyed participants after engaging in the experience to better understand their perceptions and interpretations of the experience. With the responses of participants' experiences and collective reflection upon the project I can begin to think about future iterations and how they might contain applications in health and/or wellness.