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Dellaert, Frank

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Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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MCMC Data Association and Sparse Factorization Updating for Real Time Multitarget Tracking with Merged and Multiple Measurements

2006-12 , Khan, Zia , Balch, Tucker , Dellaert, Frank

In several multitarget tracking applications, a target may return more than one measurement per target and interacting targets may return multiple merged measurements between targets. Existing algorithms for tracking and data association, initially applied to radar tracking, do not adequately address these types of measurements. Here, we introduce a probabilistic model for interacting targets that addresses both types of measurements simultaneously. We provide an algorithm for approximate inference in this model using a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC)-based auxiliary variable particle filter. We Rao-Blackwellize the Markov chain to eliminate sampling over the continuous state space of the targets. A major contribution of this work is the use of sparse least squares updating and downdating techniques, which significantly reduce the computational cost per iteration of the Markov chain. Also, when combined with a simple heuristic, they enable the algorithm to correctly focus computation on interacting targets. We include experimental results on a challenging simulation sequence. We test the accuracy of the algorithm using two sensor modalities, video, and laser range data. We also show the algorithm exhibits real time performance on a conventional PC.

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How A.I. and multi-robot systems research will accelerate our understanding of social animal behavior

2006-07 , Balch, Tucker , Dellaert, Frank , Feldman, Adam , Guillory, Andrew , Isbell, Charles L. , Khan, Zia , Pratt, Stephen , Stein, Andrew , Wilde, Hank

Our understanding of social insect behavior has significantly influenced A.I. and multi-robot systems’ research (e.g. ant algorithms and swarm robotics). In this work, however, we focus on the opposite question, namely: “how can multi-robot systems research contribute to the understanding of social animal behavior?.” As we show, we are able to contribute at several levels: First, using algorithms that originated in the robotics community, we can track animals under observation to provide essential quantitative data for animal behavior research. Second, by developing and applying algorithms originating in speech recognition and computer vision, we can automatically label the behavior of animals under observation. Our ultimate goal, however, is to automatically create, from observation, executable models of behavior. An executable model is a control program for an agent that can run in simulation (or on a robot). The representation for these executable models is drawn from research in multi-robot systems programming. In this paper we present the algorithms we have developed for tracking, recognizing, and learning models of social animal behavior, details of their implementation, and quantitative experimental results using them to study social insects.

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Learning and Inferring Motion Patterns using Parametric Segmental Switching Linear Dynamic Systems

2006 , Oh, Sang Min , Rehg, James M. , Balch, Tucker , Dellaert, Frank

Switching Linear Dynamic System (SLDS) models are a popular technique for modeling complex nonlinear dynamic systems. An SLDS has significantly more descriptive power than an HMM by using continuous hidden states. However, the use of SLDS models in practical applications is challenging for several reasons. First, exact inference in SLDS models is computationally intractable. Second, the geometric duration model induced in standard SLDSs limits their representational power. Third, standard SLDSs do not provide a systematic way to robustly interpret systematic variations governed by higher order parameters. The contributions in this paper address all three challenges above. First, we present a data-driven MCMC sampling method for SLDSs as a robust and efficient approximate inference method. Second, we present segmental switching linear dynamic systems (S-SLDS), where the geometric distributions are replaced with arbitrary duration models. Third, we extend the standard model with a parametric model that can capture systematic temporal and spatial variations. The resulting parametric SLDS model (P-SLDS) uses EM to robustly interpret parametrized motions by incorporating additional global parameters that underly systematic variations of the overall motion. The overall development of the proposed inference methods and extensions for SLDSs provide a robust framework to interpret complex motions. The framework is applied to the honey bee dance interpretation task in the context of the ongoing BioTracking project at Georgia Institute of Technology. The experimental results suggest that the enhanced models provide an effective framework for a wide range of motion analysis applications.