Multi-target tracking on confidence maps: An application to people tracking

We propose a generic online multi-target track-before-detect (MT-TBD) that is applicable on confidence maps used as observations. The proposed tracker is based on particle filtering and automatically initializes tracks. The main novelty is the inclusion of the target ID in the particle state, enabling the algorithm to deal with unknown and large number of targets. To overcome the problem of mixing IDs of targets close to each other, we propose a probabilistic model of target birth and death based on a Markov Random Field (MRF) applied to the particle IDs. Each particle ID is managed using the information carried by neighboring particles. The assignment of the IDs to the targets is performed using Mean-Shift clustering and supported by a Gaussian Mixture Model. We also show that the computational complexity of MT-TBD is proportional only to the number of particles. To compare our method with recent state-of-the-art works, we include a postprocessing stage suited for multi-person tracking. We validate the method on real-world and crowded scenarios, and demonstrate its robustness in scenes presenting different perspective views and targets very close to each other.     

Parameter tuning or default values? An empirical investigation in search-based software engineering

Many software engineering problems have been addressed with search algorithms. Search algorithms usually depend on several parameters (e.g., population size and crossover rate in genetic algorithms), and the choice of these parameters can have an impact on the performance of the algorithm. It has been formally proven in the No Free Lunch theorem that it is impossible to tune a search algorithm such that it will have optimal settings for all possible problems. So, how to properly set the parameters of a search algorithm for a given software engineering problem? In this paper, we carry out the largest empirical analysis so far on parameter tuning in search-based software engineering. More than one million experiments were carried out and statistically analyzed in the context of test data generation for object-oriented software using the EvoSuite tool. Results show that tuning does indeed have impact on the performance of a search algorithm. But, at least in the context of test data generation, it does not seem easy to find good settings that significantly outperform the “default” values suggested in the literature. This has very practical value for both researchers (e.g., when different techniques are compared) and practitioners. Using “default” values is a reasonable and justified choice, whereas parameter tuning is a long and expensive process that might or might not pay off in the end.     

NetCluster: A clustering-based framework to analyze internet passive measurements data

Internet measured data collected via passive measurement are analyzed to obtain localization information on nodes by clustering (i.e., grouping together) nodes that exhibit similar network path properties. Since traditional clustering algorithms fail to correctly identify clusters of homogeneous nodes, we propose the NetCluster novel framework, suited to analyze Internet measurement datasets. We show that the proposed framework correctly analyzes synthetically generated traces. Finally, we apply it to real traces collected at the access link of Politecnico di Torino campus LAN and discuss the network characteristics as seen at the vantage point.     

Mobile Underwater Sensor Networks for Protection and Security: Field Experience at the UAN11 Experiment

The EU‐funded project UAN (Underwater Acoustic Network) was aimed at conceiving, developing, and testing at sea an innovative and operational concept for integrating underwater and above‐water sensors in a unique communication system to protect offshore and coastline critical infrastructures. This work gives details on the underwater part of the project. It introduces a set of original security features and gives details on the integration of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) as mobile nodes of the network and as surveillance assets, acoustically controlled by the command and control center to respond against intrusions. Field results are given of the final UAN project sea trial, UAN11, held in May 2011 in Norway. During the experimental activities, a UAN composed of four fixed nodes, two AUVs, and one mobile node mounted on the supporting research vessel was operated continuously and integrated into a global protection system. In this article, the communication performance of the network is reported in terms of round‐trip time, packet loss, and average delivery ratio. The major results of the experiment can be thus summarized: the implemented network structure was successful in continuously operating over five days with nodes seamlessly entering and exiting the network; the performance of the network varied greatly with fluctuations in the acoustic channel; the addition of security features induced a minor degradation in network performance with respect to channel variation; the AUVs were successfully controlled from a remote station through acoustic signals routed by the network. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Diagnosability Analysis of a Class of Hierarchical State Machines

This paper addresses the problem of fault detection and isolation for a particular class of discrete event dynamical systems called hierarchical finite state machines (HFSMs). A new version of the property of diagnosability for discrete event systems tailored to HFSMs is introduced. This notion, called L₁-diagnosability, captures the possibility of detecting an unobservable fault event using only high level observations of the behavior of an HFSM. Algorithms for testing L₁-diagnosability are presented. In addition, new methodologies are presented for studying the diagnosability properties of HFSMs that are not L₁-diagnosable. These methodologies avoid the complete expansion of an HFSM into its corresponding flat automaton by focusing the expansion on problematic indeterminate cycles only in the associated extended diagnoser.

The Structure of Visual Spaces

The “visual space” of an optical observer situated at a single, fixed viewpoint is necessarily very ambiguous. Although the structure of the “visual field” (the lateral dimensions, i.e., the “image”) is well defined, the “depth” dimension has to be inferred from the image on the basis of “monocular depth cues” such as occlusion, shading, etc. Such cues are in no way “given”, but are guesses on the basis of prior knowledge about the generic structure of the world and the laws of optics. Thus such a guess is like a hallucination that is used to tentatively interpret image structures as depth cues. The guesses are successful if they lead to a coherent interpretation. Such “controlled hallucination” (in psychological terminology) is similar to the “analysis by synthesis” of computer vision. Although highly ambiguous, visual spaces do have geometrical structure. The group of ambiguities left open by the cues (e.g., the well known bas-relief ambiguity in the case of shape from shading) may be interpreted as the group of congruences (proper motions) of the space. The general structure of visual spaces for different visual fields is explored in the paper. Applications include improved viewing systems for optical man-machine interfaces.     

A bacterial colony growth algorithm for mobile robot localization

Achieving robot autonomy is a fundamental objective in Mobile Robotics. However in order to realize this goal, a robot must be aware of its location within an environment. Therefore, the localization problem (i.e.,the problem of determining robot pose relative to a map of its environment) must be addressed. This paper proposes a new biology-inspired approach to this problem. It takes advantage of models of species reproduction to provide a suitable framework for maintaining the multi-hypothesis. In addition, various strategies to track robot pose are proposed and investigated through statistical comparisons. The Bacterial Colony Growth Algorithm (BCGA) provides two different levels of modeling: a background level that carries on the multi-hypothesis and a foreground level that identifies the best hypotheses according to an exchangeable strategy. Experiments, carried out on the robot ATRV-Jr manufactured by iRobot, show the effectiveness of the proposed BCGA.

High power GaN‐HEMT SPDT switches for microwave applications

In this article, the design, fabrication, and on‐wafer test of X‐Band and 2–18 GHz wideband high‐power SPDT MMIC switches in AlGaN/GaN technology are presented. The switches have demonstrated state‐of‐the‐art performance and RF fabrication yield better than 65%. Linear and power measurements for different control voltages have been reported and an explanation of the dependence of the power performances on the control voltage is given. In particular, the X‐band switch exhibits a 0.4 dB compression level at 10 GHz when driven by a 38 dBm input signal. The wideband switch shows a compression level of 1 dB at an input drive higher than 38 dBm across the entire bandwidth. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2009.     

System for measuring the coordinates of tire surfaces in transient conditions when rolling over obstacles: description of the system and performance analysis

This paper describes the development of a system for measuring surface coordinates (commonly known as "shape measurements") which is able to give the temporal evolution of the position of the tire sidewall in transient conditions (such as during braking, when there are potholes or when the road surface is uneven) which may or may not be reproducible. The system is based on the well-known technique of projecting and observing structured light using a digital camera with an optical axis which is slanted with respect to the axis of the projector. The transient nature of the phenomenon has led to the development of specific innovative solutions as regards image processing algorithms. This paper briefly describes the components which make up the measuring system and presents the results of the measurements carried out on the drum bench. It then analyses the performance of the measuring system and the sources of uncertainty which led to the development of the system for a specific dynamic application: impact with an obstacle (cleat test). The measuring system guaranteed a measurement uncertainty of 0.28 mm along the Z axis (the axial direction of the tire) with a measurement range of 250(X) x 80(Y) x 25(Z) mm(3), with the tire rolling at a speed of up to 30 km/h.