Abstract: Iterative (nondeterministic) optimization of aerodynamic and hydrodynamic surface structures can be accomplished with a computer software program and a system using a combination of a variable encoding length optimization algorithm based on an evolution strategy and an experimental hardware set-up that allows to automatically change the surface properties of the applied material, starting with the overall shape and proceeding via more detailed modifications in local surface areas. The optimization of surface structures may be done with a computing device for calculating optimized parameters of at least one (virtual) surface structure, an experimental hardware set-up for measuring dynamic properties of a specific surface structure, and an interface for feeding calculated parameters from the computing device to the experimental set-up and for feeding measured results back to the computing device as quality values for the next cycle of the optimizing step.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for gathering information from an environment. In a first step, visual information is gathered from the environment. In a second step, information actively transmitted by objects in the environment is received. According to one embodiment, the information actively transmitted by objects in the environment is received wirelessly. In a third step, the visual information is combined with the received information in order to recognize objects.

Abstract: For object recognition, an image is segmented into areas of similar homogeneity at a coarse scale, which are then interpreted as surfaces. Information from different spatial scales and different image features is simultaneously evaluated by exploiting statistical dependencies on their joint appearance. Thereby, the local standard deviation of specific gray levels in the close environment of an observed pixel serves as a measure for local image homogeneity that is used to get an estimate of dominant global object contours. This information is then used to mask the original image. Thus, a fine-detailed edge detection is only applied to those parts of an image where global contours exist. After that, said edges are subject to an orientation detection. Moreover, noise and small details can be suppressed, thereby contributing to the robustness of object recognition.

Abstract: Within the frameworks of hierarchical neural feed-forward architectures for performing real-world 3D invariant object recognition a technique is proposed that shares components like weight-sharing (2), and pooling stages (3, 5) with earlier approaches, but focuses on new methods for determining optimal feature-detecting units in intermediate stages (4) of the hierarchical network. A new approach for training the hierarchical network is proposed which uses statistical means for (incrementally) learning new feature detection stages and significantly reduces the training effort for complex pattern recognition tasks, compared to the prior art. The incremental learning is based on detecting increasingly statistically independent features in higher stages of the processing hierarchy. Since this learning is unsupervised, no teacher signal is necessary and the recognition architecture can be pre-structured for a certain recognition scenario.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a stator blade for an axial-flow compressor, in which the wave drag due to the generation of a shock wave in a transonic speed range can be suppressed to the minimum. For this purpose, the stator blade in the axial-flow compressor has an intrados producing a positive pressure, and an extrados producing a negative pressure. Both of the intrados and the extrados are located on one side of a chord line. A first bulge and a second bulge are formed on the intrados of the stator blade at a location on the side of a leading edge and on the side of a trailing edge, respectively. Thus, the generation of a shock wave on the extrados can be moderated to reduce the wave drag by positively producing the separation of a boundary layer on the intrados by the first bulge.

Abstract: In an artificial intelligence system for image recognition, a global image of an object is input from a camera or other optical pick-up device, and is processed in a global image processing means, which performs analytical processing on the global image by extracting global characteristics of the input image and evaluating consistency of the extracted global characteristics. Simultaneously, the image data is processed in a local image processing means which undertakes analytical processing on a plurality of local images defining local portions of the image to be recognized. The local image processing means is constructed by plural modules, each further defined by sub-modules, which conduct respective analyses corresponding to local images having characteristics useful in recognizing the global image, wherein each local processor extracts characteristics of an input local image and evaluates consistency of the extracted characteristic with the object to be recognized.

Abstract: An artificial visual apparatus and method for image recognition having a simple adaptive scaling mechanism enables the definition of scale invariant visual icons in a processing area corresponding to the anterior inferotemporal cortex (AIT) in a one-step, value-based decision making process. Icon related activity states resulting from sensory filtering to a fourth stage KL filter corresponding to the V4 area are recognized independent of the scale and position of the item to be recognized within the maximum visual field. The AIT processing area controls the window of attention in the V4 area and confines further processing onto this selected spotlight. The invention presents a biologically plausible method for scale invariant mapping from the V4 stage filter to the AIT processor.