The Intelligent Vision Systems Laboratory

Intelligent Vision Systems Lab The IVS Lab is known for providing vision‑based solutions for businesses, innovators and entrepreneurs across New Zealand and the world.

We specialise in: - 3-D Reconstruction - Convolutional Neural Networks - Machine Learning - Object Recognition - Virtual Reality - Augmented Reality - Image Processing - Photogrammetry - Camera Calibration Established in 2005, with over 1000 publications, the IVS Lab is a leading authority in the field of Computer Vision. The current focus of the group is to combine hardware, algorithms and machine learning to form useful systems that can measure the geometry, topography and the composition of scenes at various scales and resolutions.

What we offer We specialise in: • 3D reconstruction • convolutional neural networks and machine learning • object recognition • virtual reality (VR) • augmented reality (AR) • image processing • photogrammetry • camera calibration.

We have developed systems for LIDAR calibration, smartphones, Raspberry Pi, NVidia Jetson, Kinect, Asus Xtion, GoPro Cameras and others. We specialise in combining multiple cameras and sensors to acquire optimal results through sensor consistency.

Recent work

THINKPASTURE

MOBILE TURNTABLE

Effective pasture management is an important component in ensuring optimal quantity and quality in dairy yields in New Zealand.

3D models are in high demand for computer graphics, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and 3D printing. Hand-held professional 3D scanners are expensive and often limited to a small objects, effectively putting high-quality 3D models out of reach for small businesses and hobbyists. Cheaper solutions often leave users frustrated with tracking problems and low resolution models.

We’ve developed ThinkPasture, a system that converts a simple smartphone into a handheld dry matter measurement tool enabling dairy farmers to easily assess pasture quality. Testing has shown it can distinguish between four common New Zealand grass types with 96 per cent accuracy. The system uses GPS, IMU and the camera of a typical smartphone to effectively track pasture measurements over time.

The technology behind this tool can be applied to other types of farming, since the system can easily be extended to identify the type and condition of any plant matter that can be imaged with a smartphone. The system can also function off-line in regions with no mobile coverage and correctly in regions with no GPS coverage.

Our solution uses a simple wooden turntable, a printed pattern and a webcam attached to a mid-range laptop. It can scan sufficiently textured objects to an accuracy of 1mm. Objects with little texture may also be scanned at a similar resolution with the addition of a simple mini LED projector.

UAV MAPPING SOLUTIONS Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) have become popular for their ability to acquire images from a unique perspective.

The technology is used to build maps of regions using various types of cameras. These maps are important for many applications, including changes in the distributions of flora and fauna, erosion patterns, and recording significant structures.

We have developed a SLAM system (simultaneous localization and mapping) that acquires the geometry of scenes below one square kilometre with centimetre resolution, based on the images acquired from a custom-designed Raspberry Pi stereo camera rig.

The IVS Lab also has worked on combining multi-scale outputs from LIDAR systems, thermal cameras and multi-spectral systems to create maps of scene geometry augmented with several channels of data, allowing for sophisticated object detection and scene understanding.

Who we are Associate Professor Patrice Delmas has been with the University of Auckland since 2001.

He completed his MEng (1994), MSc (1995) and PhD (2000) degrees at the National Polytechnic Institute in Grenoble, France.

Professor Emeritus Georgy Gimel’farb has retired but is still works part-time at the IVS Lab. He completed his MSc with high honours (1962) at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, and his PhD (1969) at the Institute of Cybernetics (Ukraine). He lectured at the University from 2007-2018.

The University of Auckland The University supports economic growth locally and nationally through innovation and entrepreneurship, creating quality jobs and high-value businesses, producing graduates that contribute to and strengthen our economy and society, to the benefit of all.

The University of Auckland is New Zealand’s world-ranked university. It is the leading New Zealand university in the QS World University Rankings 2019* and the highest ranked New Zealand university in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.†

UniServices At UniServices, we bring ideas to life.

We partner with the best minds at the University of Auckland to apply intelligent thinking to ideas that have the potential to change the world.

UniServices partners with the University of Auckland to: • Support researchers and help them grow their research portfolios, increasing the impact of research on society and expanding the value of research outputs.

• Develop mutually-beneficial relationships with research funders and commercial clients, bringing the external worldview into the University research environment.

• Identify, protect and develop the intellectual property of the University that arises from world-class research.

• Commercialise University-sourced technology and innovations, developing and investing in the commercial potential of new ideas produced by University staff and students.

• Deliver social and economic benefits of research outputs to the wider community in New Zealand and beyond.

CONTACT research@uniservices.co.nz www.uniservices.co.nz | www.auckland.ac.nz Level 10, 49 Symonds Street, Auckland. Private Bag 92019 Victoria St West Auckland 1142 New Zealand *

http://tiny.cc/QS_UOA

†

http://tiny.cc/Times_Rankings

‡

http://tiny.cc/Reuters_Top75 § http://tiny.cc/MIT_Report

Together with our partners, we look to the future, imagine the possibilities, and innovate for public and private good. For over 30 years, we’ve collaborated with hundreds of organisations on thousands of projects in New Zealand and around the world.

We are the most innovative university in New Zealand in Reuters’ Top 75: Asia’s Most Innovative Universities rankings.‡ We have also been identified by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study as one of the world’s leading entrepreneurial universities (MIT Skoltech Initiative).§