Meeting
Agenda Meeting
Agenda
Few people know how to use graphics modeling packages, but everyone can build things out of blocks and clay. Starting from this premise, and with the goal of developing accessible modeling tools for building and populating virtual worlds, we have developed two novel object-modeling systems.The first system consists of Lego-like building blocks that self-describe the geometric structures into which they are assembled. In contrast to previously reported self-describing construction kits, our approach has advantages of scalability, configurability, and interactivity. Each building block contains a microcontroller (a simple microprocessor), and can communicate with the blocks to which it is physically connected. The blocks in an assembled structure use a distributed algorithm to first discover how they are connected to their immediate neighbors. This information is then relayed from brick to brick --- each of our block structures is essentially a self- configuring, store-and-forward computer network --- until it reaches the host computer. From the block connectivity data that it collects, and knowledge of the shape of each block, the host computer can recover the geometric structure of the assembled blocks. The structure can then be rendered in various styles, ranging from a literal rendition in which blocks look like Lego bricks, to decorative interpretations in which structural elements are identified automatically and augmented appropriately. Once rendered, the virtual models are available for viewing and manipulation by the user. Through the use of embedded sensors and transducers, the user can also interact with the virtual world through the block model.
The second system uses customized variants of known computer-vision techniques to recognize and parse clay models of common toy-like objects, such as people, animals, trees, houses, cars, boats, etc. Using a single calibrated camera to capture images of a clay model on a rotary table, we recover a volumetric scan of the model. The scanned volume is then matched against a small set of object templates. This process allows us to both classify the clay model and to identify its constituent parts. Using this information we can, for example, recognize and parse a clay model of an ambulatory object, and then animate it appropriately in a virtual world.
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Daniel M. Berryon sabbatical from Faculty of Computer Science Technion---mIsrael Institute of Technology Haifa 32000 Israel
User interface prototyping is a requirements elicitation technique. A user interface prototype is built during the requirements engineering phases of a software system development project. Along with the user interface prototype are produced various documents such as the system requirement specification and an occupation analysis document. When a user interface prototype and other documents exist, they may not describe the same functionality, particularly because there may be behavior of the user interface prototype, artifacts of prototyping, that may not be intended. The problem is that in later development stages, when there is a user interface prototype and other documents, it is often difficult to reconcile the difference between the user interface prototype and the other documents. This talk describes the problem and presents an approach for avoiding this difficulty.
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This presentation discusses the development of an electronic textbook for a new freshman engineering course entitled, "Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering." One of the goals of the electronic format was to enhance the problem solving skills of the students through on-line interactive Web-based tutorials and exercises in which the students receive immediate feedback regarding the correctness of their work. A brief description of the course and the electronic textbook is presented. Student evaluations indicate that the project has been a success. The talk concludes with a brief discussion of a number of unresolved issues concerning the production, sale, and support of electronic textbooks. Biography Dr.Trick is currently Professor and Director of the Lois and Harlan Anderson Laboratory for Global Education in Engineering. From 1995-98 he served as Director of the Sloan Center for Asynchronous Learning Environments. He served as Head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering from 1985 to 1995 and as Director of the Coordinated Science Laboratory from 1984 to 1986. He has conducted research and published widely in the areas of computational methods for circuit analysis and design, integrated circuits, and analog and digital signal processing. Currently his research interests are in the application of multimedia, the World Wide Web, and asynchronous conferencing software in the creation of learning environments for both on-campus and distance learning students. In 1976 he received the Guillemin-Cauer Award for best paper published in the IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems; in 1984 he was awarded the IEEE Centennial Medal; in 1987 he received the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Meritorious Service Award, and he is the recipient of the 1994 IEEE Circuits and Systems Society VanValkenburg Award. In 1996 he received the University of Illinois Dads Association Outstanding Faculty Award. Dr. Trick is a Fellow of the IEEE, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the International Engineering Consortium (IEC). Invited by Professor Ajoy Opal, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Everyone is welcome.
Conditional independence modeling can reveal the relationship between a set of variables, using sample partial correlations in a least squares context. The method is applied to contemporaneous and lagged variables of a multivariate time series to identify structural AR and ARIMA models. These allow simultaneous as well as lagged dependence between the series. Examples of banking and dollar term interest rates illustrate how models with a relatively sparse parameterisation can be constructed although a unique identification is not always possible. The talk will be followed by coffee and cookies in MC 6123. ALL WELCOME!
Have you ever considered what ingredients go into the creation of a well-designed course? While we do not advocate one set "recipe," a number of common elements exist for you to consider. In this workshop, we will discuss key elements involved in course design, generate and consider important issues related to each of these elements, and learn about the interrelationships amongst the elements. This workshop will be highly interactive and will use guided facilitation to create a flexible course design model. To prepare for this workshop, please consider a course you would like to teach. Your course will provide a context for you during our many brainstorming exercises. The workshop is open to all graduate students at UW, so please pass this notice on to your colleagues. Remember to bring your lunch. Juice will be provided. Please register for this workshop by sending an email to trace@watserv1 by Friday, June 11, 1999, or by sending the form below to TRACE, MC 4055. If you have any questions, please contact TRACE at ext. 3132.