Abstract: A method of controlling access to content such as web sites on the intranet or interne is described. For example, the method comprises receiving an address of content to be accessed and obtaining similarity of the address to previously labeled addresses of other content items. The similarity is based on co-occurrence of addresses of content items in records of browsing sessions from many consenting users. For example, a browsing session record comprises addresses of content items accessed by a user in a time period during which the user is actively accessing content. A co-occurrence of addresses of content items is the existence of the addresses in the same browsing session record. Access to the content is then controlled on the basis of the similarity.

Abstract: An inference engine is described for efficient machine learning. For example, an inference engine executes a plurality of ordered steps to carry out inference on the basis of observed data. For each step, a plurality of inputs to the step are received. A predictor predicts an output of the step and computes uncertainty of the prediction. Either the predicted output or a known output is selected on the basis of the uncertainty. If the known output is selected, the known output is computed, (for example, using a resource intensive, accurate process). The predictor is retrained using the known output and the plurality of inputs of the step as training data. For example, computing the prediction is fast and efficient as compared with computing the known output.

Abstract: Model fitting from raw time of flight image data is described, for example, to track position and orientation of a human hand or other entity. In various examples, raw image data depicting the entity is received from a time of flight camera. A 3D model of the entity is accessed and used to render, from the 3D model, simulations of raw time of flight image data depicting the entity in a specified pose/shape. The simulated raw image data and at least part of the received raw image data are compared and on the basis of the comparison, parameters of the entity are computed.

Abstract: Described are systems, methods, and computer-readable media for program generation in a domain-specific language based on input-output examples. In accordance with various embodiments, a neural-network-based program generation model conditioned on an encoded set of input-output examples is used to generate a program tree by iteratively expanding a partial program tree, beginning with a root node and ending when all leaf nodes are terminal.

Abstract: Generally discussed herein are devices, systems, and methods for encoding input-output examples. A method of generating a program using an encoding of input-output examples, may include processing an input example of the input-output examples, using a first long short term memory (LSTM) neural network, one character at a time to produce an input feature vector, processing an output example associated with the input example in the input-output examples, using the LSTM neural network, one character at a time to produce an output feature vector, determining (a) a cross-correlation between the input feature vector and the output feature vector or (b) previously computed feature vectors for a different input-output example that are sufficiently close to the input feature vector and the output feature vector, respectively, and using the determined cross-correlation or previously computed vector, generating a program consistent with the input example and the output example.

Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing interference between multiple infra-red depth cameras are described. In an embodiment, the system comprises multiple infra-red sources, each of which projects a structured light pattern into the environment. A controller is used to control the sources in order to reduce the interference caused by overlapping light patterns. Various methods are described including: cycling between the different sources, where the cycle used may be fixed or may change dynamically based on the scene detected using the cameras; setting the wavelength of each source so that overlapping patterns are at different wavelengths; moving source-camera pairs in independent motion patterns; and adjusting the shape of the projected light patterns to minimize overlap. These methods may also be combined in any way. In another embodiment, the system comprises a single source and a mirror system is used to cast the projected structured light pattern around the environment.

Abstract: A “Layout Optimizer” provides various real-time iterative constraint-satisfaction methodologies that use constraint-based frameworks to generate optimized layouts that map or embed virtual objects into environments. The term environment refers to combinations of environmental characteristics, including, but not limited to, 2D or 3D scene geometry or layout, scene colors, patterns, and/or textures, scene illumination, scene heat sources, fixed or moving people, objects or fluids, etc., any of which may evolve or change over time. A set of parameters are specified or selected for each object. Further, the environmental characteristics are determined automatically or specified by users. Relationships between objects and/or the environment derived from constraints associated with objects and the environment are then used to iteratively determine optimized self-consistent and scene-consistent object layouts.

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: Correspondences in content items may be determined using a trained decision tree to detect distinctive matches between portions of content items. The techniques described include determining a first group of patches associated with a first content item and processing a first patch based at least partly on causing the first patch to move through a decision tree, and determining a second group of patches associated with a second content item and processing a second patch based at least partly on causing the second patch to move through the decision tree. The techniques described include determining that the first patch and the second patch are associated with a same leaf node of the decision tree and determining that the first patch and the second patch are corresponding patches based at least partly on determining that the first patch and the second patch are associated with the same leaf node.

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: Crowdsourcing systems with machine learning are described. Specifically, item-label inference methods and systems are presented, for example, to provide aggregated answers to a crowdsourced task in a manner achieving good accuracy even where observed data about past behavior of crowd members is sparse. In various examples, an item-label inference system infers variables describing characteristics of both individual crowd workers and communities of the workers. In various examples, an item-label inference system provides aggregated labels while considering the inferred worker characteristics and the inferred characteristics of the worker communities. In examples the item-label inference system provides uncertainty information associated with the inference results for selecting workers and generating future tasks.

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: Correspondences in content items may be determined using a trained decision tree to detect distinctive matches between portions of content items. The techniques described include determining a first group of patches associated with a first content item and processing a first patch based at least partly on causing the first patch to move through a decision tree, and determining a second group of patches associated with a second content item and processing a second patch based at least partly on causing the second patch to move through the decision tree. The techniques described include determining that the first patch and the second patch are associated with a same leaf node of the decision tree and determining that the first patch and the second patch are corresponding patches based at least partly on determining that the first patch and the second patch are associated with the same leaf node.

Abstract: Crowdsourcing systems with machine learning are described, for example, to aggregate answers to a crowdsourced task in a manner achieving good accuracy even where observed data about past behavior of crowd members is sparse. In various examples a machine learning system jointly learns variables describing characteristics of both individual crowd workers and communities of the workers. In various examples, the machine learning system learns aggregated labels. In examples learnt variables describing characteristics of an individual crowd worker are related, by addition of noise, to learnt variables describing characteristics of a community of which the individual is a member. In examples the crowdsourcing system uses the learnt variables describing characteristics of individual workers and of communities of workers for any one or more of: active learning, targeted training of workers, targeted issuance of tasks, calculating and issuing rewards.

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: Memory facilitation using directed acyclic graphs is described, for example, where a plurality of directed acyclic graphs are trained for gesture recognition from human skeletal data, or to estimate human body joint positions from depth images for gesture detection. In various examples directed acyclic graphs are grown during training using a training objective which takes into account both connection patterns between nodes and split function parameter values. For example, a layer of child nodes is grown and connected to a parent layer of nodes using an initialization strategy. In examples, various local search processes are used to find good combinations of connection patterns and split function parameters.

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 method of sensing depth using an RGB camera. In an example method, a color image of a scene is received from an RGB camera. The color image is applied to a trained machine learning component which uses features of the 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 RGB camera. In various examples, the machine learning component comprises one or more entangled geodesic random decision forests.

Abstract: A gesture detection and recognition technique is described. In one example, a sequence of data items relating to the motion of a gesturing user is received. A selected set of data items from the sequence are tested against pre-learned threshold values, to determine a probability of the sequence representing a certain gesture. If the probability is greater than a predetermined value, then the gesture is detected, and an action taken. In examples, the tests are performed by a trained decision tree classifier. In another example, the sequence of data items can be compared to pre-learned templates, and the similarity between them determined. If the similarity for a template exceeds a threshold, a likelihood value associated with a future time for a gesture associated with that template is updated. Then, when the future time is reached, the gesture is detected if the likelihood value is greater than a predefined value.

Abstract: Tracking using sensor data is described, for example, where a plurality of machine learning predictors are used to predict a plurality of complementary, or diverse, parameter values of a process describing how the sensor data arises. In various examples a selector selects which of the predicted values are to be used, for example, to control a computing device. In some examples the tracked parameter values are pose of a moving camera or pose of an object moving in the field of view of a static camera; in some examples the tracked parameter values are of a 3D model of a hand or other articulated or deformable entity. The machine learning predictors have been trained in series, with training examples being reweighted after training an individual predictor, to favor training examples on which the set of predictors already trained performs poorly.