Adaptive View Planning for Aerial 3D Reconstruction

With the proliferation of small aerial vehicles, acquiring close up aerial imagery for high quality reconstruction of complex scenes is gaining importance. We present an adaptive view planning method to collect such images in an automated fashion. We start by sampling a small set of views to build a coarse proxy to the scene. We then present (i)~a method that builds a view manifold for view selection, and (ii) an algorithm to select a sparse set of views. The vehicle then visits these viewpoints to cover the scene, and the procedure is repeated until reconstruction quality converges or a desired level of quality is achieved. The view manifold provides an effective efficiency/quality compromise between using the entire 6 degree of freedom pose space and using a single view hemisphere to select the views. Our results show that, in contrast to existing "explore and exploit" methods which collect only two sets of views, reconstruction quality can be drastically improved by adding a third set. They also indicate that three rounds of data collection is sufficient even for very complex scenes. We compare our algorithm to existing methods in three challenging scenes. We require each algorithm to select the same number of views. Our algorithm generates views which produce the least reconstruction error

Developing real-life driving simulations for novice driver education

This paper will describe the technological aspects of producing live-action videos of real traffic scenarios for a new driver education training CD-ROM (CD DRIVES) aimed at novice drivers in New Zealand. CD-DRIVES was created in order to help young drivers practise crucial higher level driving skills such as eye scanning, hazard detection and risk management. We will present a roadmap of the technological advances made through hardware, software and processes used in the production and post-production stages of CD-DRIVES

Evaluation of a sudden brake warning system: Effect on the response time of the following driver

This study used a video-based braking simulation dual task to carry out a preliminary evaluation of the effect of a sudden brake warning system (SBWS) in a leading passenger vehicle on the response time of the following driver. The primary task required the participants (N = 25, 16 females, full NZ license holders) to respond to sudden braking manoeuvres of a lead vehicle during day and night driving, wet and dry conditions and in rural and urban traffic, while concurrently performing a secondary tracking task using a computer mouse. The SBWS in the lead vehicle consisted of g-force controlled activation of the rear hazard lights (the rear indicators flashed), in addition to the standard brake lights. Overall, the results revealed that responses to the braking manoeuvres of the leading vehicles when the hazard lights were activated by the warning system were 0.34 s (19%) faster compared to the standard brake lights. The SBWS was particularly effective when the simulated braking scenario of the leading vehicle did not require an immediate and abrupt braking response. Given this, the SBWS may also be beneficial for allowing smoother deceleration, thus reducing fuel consumption. These preliminary findings justify a larger, more ecologically valid laboratory evaluation which may lead to a naturalistic study in order to test this new technology in ‘real world’ braking situations

Violations of the String Hypothesis in the Solutions of the Bethe Ansatz Equations in the XXX-Heisenberg

We study the equations for the quasi-momenta which characterize the wave-functions in the Bethe ansatz for the XXX-Heisenberg model. We show in a simple analytical fashion, that the usual ``string hypothesis" incorrectly predicts the number of real solutions and the number of complex solutions for $N>21$ in the sector with two spins flipped, confirming the work of Essler et al. Two complex pair solutions drop out and form two additional real pair solutions. We also introduce a new set of variables which allows the equations to be written as a single polynomial equation in one variable. We consider in some detail the case of three spins flipped.Comment: 18 pages. revised to amplify credit, in plain tex with macropackage psbox (available from the net

Responsible management education for 21st century leadership

This paper discusses possible approaches for business schools regarding how to educate students to be future generators of sustainable value for business and society at large and to work for an inclusive and sustainable global economy. On the basis of the recently published Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) as well as contemporary learning theories, the paper provides concrete recommendations about how to foster students' development towards becoming long-term thinking, responsible business leaders. The paper argues that student learning needs to occur within powerful learning environments to provide active, problem-based and self-directed acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes. Two approaches to create best-practice learning environments are real-life case studies and real-life student projects which both lead to strong buy-in from students, faculty and company partners. Both approaches are exemplified with the International Management bachelor's degree program at Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland. As a result, responsible management education fosters students' knowledge, skills and attitudes towards responsible business leadership to shape the future direction of the 21st century