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Department of Computer Science

Visual Computing Colloquium with Prof. L. Harris

Date

Wednesday, 14 December 2016

Time

10:30 - 09:30

20161214_FBINF_cvr-laurence-harris-01.jpg (DE)

Abstract

Prof. Harris will talk about two of the projects he has carried out in collaboration with Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences.

The first uses Virtual Reality to determine how optic flow tells us how far we have moved. We measured perceived travel distance when simulating motion moving down a corridor while looking straight ahead (radial flow) compared to when looking sideways (laminar flow). Data were modeled by the output of a leaky spatial integrator and suggested independent processing of the two types of flow.

The second, using the Human Centrifuge, addresses the question, how much gravity do we need to determine the direction of UP? The Short Arm Human Centrifuige (SAHC) at DLR Aerospace Center has been used to simulate gravity along the long axis of the body and determine its effect on the perception of character the identity of which depends on the direction of up. Simulationg 1g gave results equivalent to when standing. The threshold for simulated gravity to have a perceptual effect was 0.15g, close to that on the moon.

This guest lecture is partially supported by DFG GRK 1564 "Imaging New Modalities".

Vita

Laurence Harris received his PhD from Cambridge University in 1979. After post-docs in Durham (UK) and Dalhousie (Canada) he became a lecturer in physiology at Cardiff University. He moved to York University in canada in 1990 where he is presently the director of the Center for Vision Research.

His research interest concerns how the different senses are combined to generate our perceptions. Examples include the visual and vestibular system's role in orientation and self motion perception; vision and hearing's role in localizing events in space and time; and how knowledge of our body affects our perception of stimuli. He is particularly interested in the way these combinations can adapt to changing demands brought about by unusual environments which he creates using various means including virtual reality, the microgravity of space, human centrifuges, and moving rooms.

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