Tuesday 17th June 2008
Ramesh RASKAR (MIT Media Lav)
Camera Culture
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Slides: presentation.pdf
Abstract
The Camera Culture group’s research emphasis is on creating tools for
better capturing and sharing visual information.
The camera is ubiquitous, but image-capturing technology remains limited by
designs that follow the optical configuration of the human eye. What if
cameras could not only capture images, but also tell a fuller story through
the data they gather by collecting more visually meaningful abstractions of
our complex world? The Camera Culture group explores ways to go beyond
optical sensing as we know it, opening up new ways to create and share
visual information. We develop new algorithms and exploit, for example,
unusual optics, programmable illumination, and ultra-high-speed imaging
technologies so that individuals may access these technologies intuitively.
These new tools will spawn new visual art forms. In addition, optically
smart sensors will empower disabled persons, pixel-coordinated interactions
will harvest the productivity of crowds for complex tasks, and image-savvy
commerce will bring together cultures separated by language barriers.
Bio
Ramesh Raskar joined the Media Lab in spring 2008 as head of the Camera
Culture research group. The group focuses on developing tools to help us
capture and share the visual experience. This research involves
developing novel cameras with unusual optical elements, programmable
illumination, digital wavelength control, and femtosecond analysis of
light transport, as well as tools to decompose pixels into perceptually
meaningful components. Raskar's research also involves creating a
universal platform for the sharing and consumption of visual media.
Raskar received his PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill, where he introduced "Shader Lamps," a novel method for seamlessly
merging synthetic elements into the real world using projector-camera
based spatial augmented reality. In 2004, Raskar received the TR100
Award from Technology Review, which recognizes top young innovators
under the age of 35, and in 2003, the Global Indus Technovator Award,
instituted at MIT to recognize the top 20 Indian technology innovators
worldwide. He holds 30 US patents and has received four Mitsubishi
Electric Invention Awards. He is currently co-authoring a book on
computational photography.