Abstract: Provided is point-based efficient three-dimensional (3D) information representation from a color image that is obtained from a general Charge-Coupled Device (CCD)/Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) camera, and a depth image that is obtained from a depth camera. A 3D image processing method includes storing a depth image associated with an object as first data of a 3D data format, and storing a color image associated with the object as color image data of a 2D image format, independent of the first data.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus is provided. The image processing apparatus determines whether a first charge quantity of charges stored in a first charge storage is greater than or equal to a predetermined saturation level, the first charge storage among a plurality of charge storages configured to store charges generated by a sensor of a depth camera. According to the determination result, when the first charge quantity is greater than or equal to the saturation level, the image processing apparatus may calculate the first charge quantity from at least one second charge quantity of charges stored in at least one second charge storage which is different from the first charge storage among the plurality of charge storages.

Abstract: Provided are a method and an apparatus for image processing. A scene includes a low resolution depth image and a high resolution color image. A depth image up-scaler up-scales the depth image using an interpolation so as to improve the resolution of the depth image. A color-depth similarity based filter removes noise from the up-scaled depth image using the color image and the up-scaled depth image. A boundary sharpening filter converts a boundary between objects in the up-scaled depth image into a clearer boundary. The resolution of the depth image may increase to the level of the resolution of the color image by means of the depth image up-scaler, the color-depth similarity based filter and the boundary sharpening filter, and the depth of each pixel in the depth image may be adjusted.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for out-focusing a color image based on a depth image, the method including receiving an input of a depth region of interest (ROI) desired to be in focus for performing out-focusing in the depth image, and applying different blur models to pixels corresponding to the depth ROI, and pixels corresponding to a region, other than the depth ROI, in the color image, thereby performing out-focusing on the depth ROI.

Abstract: A device and method for processing virtual worlds. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, information which is measured from the real world using characteristics of a sensor is transferred to a virtual world, to thereby implement an interaction between the real world and the virtual world. The disclosed device and method for processing virtual worlds involve selectively transferring information, from among the measured information, which is different from previously measured information. The disclosed device and method for processing virtual worlds involve transferring the entire measured information in the event that the measured information is significantly different from the previously measured information and for selectively transferring information, from among the measured information, which is different from the measured information in the event that the difference is not significant.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for encoding a 3D mesh, and an apparatus and method for decoding the 3D mesh are disclosed. The 3D mesh encoding apparatus may determine mesh information including position information of each of vertices constituting the 3D mesh, and connectivity information among the vertices, based on a level, and may progressively encode the determined mesh information based on the level, thereby reducing an error with an original 3D object when compared to an equal transmission rating.

Abstract: Provided are methods of switching guest-host dual frequency liquid crystals by using a back flow. In the case of a shutter having a dual frequency liquid crystal layer between two transparent substrates, such a method includes: applying a first voltage having a first frequency to the dual frequency liquid crystal layer; and applying a second voltage having a second frequency to the dual frequency liquid crystal, the second frequency being higher than the first frequency, wherein the second voltage is higher than a threshold voltage that generates a back flow around liquid crystals of the dual frequency liquid crystal layer, and the first voltage is lower than the threshold voltage.

Abstract: A virtual world processing apparatus and method. An angle value is obtained by measuring an angle of a body part of a user of a real world using sensor capability, which is information on capability of a bending sensor, and is transmitted to a virtual world, thereby achieving interaction between the real world and the virtual world. In addition, based on the sensor capability and the angle value denoting the angle of the body part, control information is generated to control a part of an avatar of the virtual world, corresponding to the body part, and then transmitted to the virtual world. Accordingly, interaction between the real world and the virtual world is achieved.

Abstract: A virtual world processing apparatus and method. Sensed information, which is information collected by a sensor is inputted. The sensed information is adapted, based on a sensor capability, which is information on capability of the sensor. Accordingly, interoperability between a real world and a virtual world or interoperability between virtual worlds may be achieved.

Abstract: An image processor, a lighting processor, and a method therefore are provided. According to one aspect of the invention, the lighting processor can extract information related to defuse lighting applied to a real object using a colored image and a depth image of the real object. The lighting processor can recover the diffuse image for the real object using the extracted information related to diffuse lighting, and generate either a speculum image or a shadow image using the recovered diffuse image and the colored image.

Abstract: A method of medical image registration includes obtaining a first medical image generated before a medical surgery; obtaining a second medical image generated in real time during the medical surgery; extracting landmark points of at least two adjacent anatomical objects recognizable in the second medical image among a plurality of anatomical objects near an organ of interest of a patient from the first medical image and the second medical image; and registering the first medical image and the second medical image based on a geometrical correlation among the adjacent anatomical objects indicated by the landmark points of the first medical image and a geometrical correlation among the adjacent anatomical objects indicated by the landmark points of the second medical image.

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus and method to create a model of a target organ of a patient. The apparatus and method generate a deformation matrix between at least two shape models of a target organ based on at least two three-dimensional (3D) images of the target organ. The apparatus and method also extract constraints about the target organ from a two-dimensional (2D) image of the target organ. The apparatus and method create the model of the target organ based on the constraints and the deformation matrix.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing a virtual world. According to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, real-world biometric information on the user may be collected using a bio sensor, and the collected information may be controlled based on the sensor characteristics of the bio sensor, thereby enabling interaction between the real world and the virtual world, as well as between virtual worlds. In addition, an interactive game which is executed in the virtual world on the basis of the collected biometric information may be controlled to thereby produce a virtual world having enhanced realism. Moreover, the real-world health status of a user may be determined and displayed on the basis of the collected biometric information, thereby enabling the health status of the user to be seen.

Abstract: An endoscope using depth information and a method for detecting a polyp based on the endoscope using the depth information are provided. The endoscope using the depth information may generate an irradiated light signal including a visible light, obtain depth information based on the irradiated light signal and a reflected light signal obtained through the irradiated light signal being reflected off of an intestine wall, generate a depth image inside the intestine wall based on the depth information, and detect a polyp located on the intestine wall based on the depth image.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for forming a light field image includes projecting vertices of a graphic object to a far plane corresponding to a first distance directed to a screen reproducing a light field, and forming the light field image with respect to the graphic object using the vertices projected to the far plane.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus may perform filtering to emphasize a surface lighting of a low frequency band from an input lighting environment image, and may also perform at least one virtual point light (VPL) sampling from the input lighting environment image. The image processing apparatus may perform precomputed radiance transfer (PRT) based rendering using the filtered lighting environment image and VPL based rendering using the sampled VPL.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and apparatus for registering images having different modalities. The medical image registration method includes performing, at an initial register, multi-modality registration of a reference image from a plurality of first images captured during a first breathing period and a second image; performing, at the initial register, single-modality registration of the reference image and each of the other first images; generating registration images between the plurality of first images and the second image based on the multi-modality registration and the single-modality registration; acquiring a third image captured after the first breathing period; and detecting an image corresponding to the third image from the registration images.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for expressing a rigid area based on expression control points that express a motion change of the rigid area with respect to an input expression. The method and apparatus express the rigid area by interpolating a change of expression of an avatar using a weight applied to an expression vector related to a plurality of expression samples to express the input expression and also using a transformation matrix set corresponding to the rigid area of each of the plurality of expression samples.

Abstract: A plane detection apparatus for detecting at least one plane model from an input depth image. The plane detection apparatus may include an image divider to divide the input depth image into a plurality of patches, a plane model estimator to calculate one or more plane models with respect to the plurality of patches including a first patch and a second patch, and a patch merger to iteratively merge patches having a plane model a similarity greater than or equal to a first threshold by comparing plane models of the plurality of patches. When a patch having the plane model similarity greater than or equal to the first threshold is absent, the plane detection apparatus may determine at least one final plane model with respect to the input depth image using previously merged patches.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to generate a volume-panorama image are provided. A method of generating a volume-panorama image includes receiving conversion relationships between volume images, one of the received conversion relationships being between a first volume image of the volume images and a second volume image of the volume images, the second volume image including an area that is common to an area of the first volume image, generating an optimized conversion relationship from the one of the received conversion relationships based on the received conversion relationships, and generating the volume-panorama image based on the generated optimized conversion relationship.