Abstract: Tracking hand or body pose from image data is described, for example, to control a game system, natural user interface or for augmented reality. In various examples a prediction engine takes a single frame of image data and predicts a distribution over a pose of a hand or body depicted in the image data. In examples, a stochastic optimizer has a pool of candidate poses of the hand or body which it iteratively refines, and samples from the predicted distribution are used to replace some candidate poses in the pool. In some examples a best candidate pose from the pool is selected as the current tracked pose and the selection processes uses a 3D model of the hand or body.

Abstract: A signal encoding an infrared (IR) image including a plurality of IR pixels is received from an IR camera. Each IR pixel specifies one or more IR parameters of that IR pixel. IR-skin pixels that image a human hand are identified in the IR image. For each IR-skin pixel, a depth of a human hand portion imaged by that IR-skin pixel is estimated based on the IR parameters of that IR-skin pixel. A skeletal hand model including a plurality of hand joints is derived. Each hand joint is defined with three independent position coordinates inferred from the estimated depths of each human hand portion.

Abstract: A method of sensing depth using an infrared camera. In an example method, an infrared image of a scene is received from an infrared camera. The infrared image is applied to a trained machine learning component which uses the intensity of image elements to assign all or some of the image elements a depth value which represents the distance between the surface depicted by the image element and the infrared camera. In various examples, the machine line component comprises one or more random decision forests.

Abstract: Various embodiments relating to partitioning a data set for training machine-learning classifiers based on an output of a globally trained machine-learning classifier are disclosed. In one embodiment, a first machine-learning classifier may be trained on a set of training data to produce a corresponding set of output data. The set of training data may be partitioned into a plurality of subsets based on the set of output data. Each subset may correspond to a different class. A second machine-learning classifier may be trained on the set of training data using a plurality of classes corresponding to the plurality of subsets to produce, for each data object of the set of training data, a probability distribution having for each class a probability that the data object is a member of the class.

Abstract: Region of interest detection in raw time of flight images is described. For example, a computing device receives at least one raw image captured for a single frame by a time of flight camera. The raw image depicts one or more objects in an environment of the time of flight camera (such as human hands, bodies or any other objects). The raw image is input to a trained region detector and in response one or more regions of interest in the raw image are received. A received region of interest comprises image elements of the raw image which are predicted to depict at least part of one of the objects. A depth computation logic computes depth from the one or more regions of interest of the raw image.

Abstract: Tracking hand pose from image data is described, for example, to control a natural user interface or for augmented reality. In various examples an image is received from a capture device, the image depicting at least one hand in an environment. For example, a hand tracker accesses a 3D model of a hand and forearm and computes pose of the hand depicted in the image by comparing the 3D model with the received image.

Abstract: Tracking hand or body pose from image data is described, for example, to control a game system, natural user interface or for augmented reality. In various examples a prediction engine takes a single frame of image data and predicts a distribution over a pose of a hand or body depicted in the image data. In examples, a stochastic optimizer has a pool of candidate poses of the hand or body which it iteratively refines, and samples from the predicted distribution are used to replace some candidate poses in the pool. In some examples a best candidate pose from the pool is selected as the current tracked pose and the selection processes uses a 3D model of the hand or body.

Abstract: Filtering sensor data is described, for example, where filters conditioned on a local appearance of the signal are predicted by a machine learning system, and used to filter the sensor data. In various examples the sensor data is a stream of noisy video image data and the filtering process denoises the video stream. In various examples the sensor data is a depth image and the filtering process refines the depth image which may then be used for gesture recognition or other purposes. In various examples the sensor data is one dimensional measurement data from an electric motor and the filtering process denoises the measurements. In examples the machine learning system comprises a random decision forest where trees of the forest store filters at their leaves. In examples, the random decision forest is trained using a training objective with a data dependent regularization term.

Abstract: A method of sensing depth using an infrared camera. In an example method, an infrared image of a scene is received from an infrared camera. The infrared image is applied to a trained machine learning component which uses the intensity of image elements to assign all or some of the image elements a depth value which represents the distance between the surface depicted by the image element and the infrared camera. In various examples, the machine line component comprises one or more random decision forests.

Abstract: Described herein is a contour-based method of classifying an item, such as a physical object or pattern. In an example method, a one-dimensional (1D) contour signal is received for an object. The one-dimensional contour signal comprises a series of 1D or multi-dimensional data points (e.g. 3D data points) that represent the contour (or outline of a silhouette) of the object. This 1D contour can be unwrapped to form a line, unlike for example, a two-dimensional signal such as an image. Some or all of the data points in the 1D contour signal are individually classified using a classifier which uses contour-based features. The individual classifications are then aggregated to classify the object and/or part(s) thereof. In various examples, the object is an object depicted in an image.