Visual object recognition and tracking

1. A method for identifying and tracking an object from two-dimensional data pictorially representing said object, comprising:

receiving, from a sensor, at least one set of said two-dimensional data pictorially representing said object, wherein said at least one set corresponds to one temporal instance and said two-dimensional data is generated by the sensor;

processing, via a computing device, said at least one set of said two-dimensional data using at least one tracker-identifier for providing an output signal including a type of said object, at least one of a position and an orientation of said object in three-dimensions, and an articulation change and a shape change of said object in said three dimensions, wherein said type of the object is determined using a spatial model description of said object; and

generating synthetic object images, via said processing, by selecting points on a surface of a four-dimensional quaternion hyperhemisphere using a predetermined method.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said processing includes spatial processing of a first input signal indicative of said at least one set of said two-dimensional data performed by a spatial processing block and temporal processing performed by a temporal processing block, wherein said spatial processing provides a second input signal to said temporal processing block.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said temporal processing block provides a third input signal to said spatial processing block.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein said spatial processing comprises generating harmonic images out of said synthetic object images, wherein at least one of said synthetic object images contains said object, by further processing using a predetermined algorithm said synthetic object images using hyperspherical harmonic weights.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said further processing comprises at least one of:

summing, averaging, selective removal, and principal component analysis.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein said temporal processing is performed for providing simultaneously said position and said orientation of the object in said three-dimensions and said articulation, all contained in said output signal.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein said spatial processing comprises:

generating synthetic object data using at least one of a graphical processing unit and a PC graphics card, said synthetic object data is generated for matching using a predetermined criterion with at least one set of said two-dimensional data pictorially representing said object and generated by said sensor for implementing said identification and tracking, wherein said synthetic object data is generated using said articulation and said shape change of said object in said three dimensions.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a four-dimensional 600-cell polytope is used to sample said orientation of said object in said three dimensions.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein before the step of said processing said at least one set of said two-dimensional data is pre-processed to remove a contribution that provides no information about said object.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein, in addition to said at least one tracker-identifier, said object-tracking system has multiple tracker-identifiers configured to generate said output signal.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said object is at least one of a surgical instrument, a mechanical tool, an input device, a human hand, a die, a coin, an agricultural product, a flying object, a ground vehicle, a sea vehicle, a manufactured part, a human face, and a human body.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein multiple sets of said two-dimensional data at different temporal instances are used for providing said output signal, wherein each of said multiple sets corresponds to one unique temporal instance out of said different temporal instances.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is at least one of an intensity sensor, a gray-level camera, a color camera, an infrared camera, and x-ray imager, imaging radar, a hyperspectral optical sensor, a stereoscopic sensor, imaging sonar, a magnetic resonance imaging sensor, a distance sensitive sensor and a ladar sensor.

14. The method according to claim 1 , where multiple objects are identified simultaneously in said at least one set of said two-dimensional data.

15. An object-tracking system for identifying and tracking an object from two-dimensional data pictorially representing said object, comprising:

a sensor configured to receive at least one set of said two-dimensional data pictorially representing said object, wherein said at least one set corresponds to one temporal instance;

a computing device including at least one tracker-identifier configured to process said at least one set of said two-dimensional data, and further configured to provide an output signal including a type of the object, at least one of a position and an orientation of the object in three-dimensions, and an articulation change and a shape change of said object in said three dimensions, wherein said type of the object is determined using a spatial model description of said object; and

an object-model database in communication with said at least one tracker-identifier for providing points on a surface of a four-dimensional quaternion hyperhemisphere for generating synthetic object images using a predetermined method.

16. The object-tracking system of claim 15 , wherein said at least one tracker-identifier is further configured for spatial processing of a first input signal indicative of said at least one set of said two-dimensional data performed by a spatial processing block and temporal processing performed by a temporal processing block, wherein said spatial processing provides a second input signal to said temporal processing block.

17. The object-tracking system of claim 16 , wherein said temporal processing block is configured to provide a third input signal to said spatial processing block.

18. The object-tracking system of claim 16 , wherein said spatial processing block is configured to generate harmonic images out of said synthetic object images, wherein at least one of said synthetic object images includes said object, by further processing using a predetermined algorithm said synthetic object images using hyperspherical harmonic weights.

19. The object-tracking system of claim 18 , wherein said further processing comprises at least one of:

summing, averaging, selective removal, and principal component analysis.

20. The object-tracking system of claim 16 , wherein said temporal processing block is configured to perform said temporal processing for providing simultaneously said position and said orientation of the object in said three-dimensions and said articulation, all contained in said output signal.

21. The object-tracking system of claim 16 , wherein said object-tracking system further comprises:

at least one of a graphical processing unit and a PC graphics card configured to generate synthetic object data, said synthetic object data is generated for matching using a predetermined criterion with at least one set of said two-dimensional data pictorially representing said object and generated by said sensor for implementing said identification and tracking, wherein said synthetic object data is generated using said articulation and said shape change of said object in said three dimensions.

22. The object-tracking system of claim 15 , wherein a four-dimensional 600-cell polytope is used to represent and sample said orientation of said object in said three dimensions.

23. The object-tracking system of claim 15 , wherein said object-tracking system further comprises: a preprocessor configured to remove, before said processing from at least one set of said two-dimensional data, a contribution that provides no information about said object.

24. The object-tracking system of claim 15 , wherein, in addition to said at least one tracker-identifier, said object-tracking system has multiple tracker-identifiers configured to generate said output signal.

25. The object-tracking system of claim 15 , wherein said object is at least one of a surgical instrument, a mechanical tool, an input device, a human hand, a die, a coin, an agricultural product, a flying object, a ground vehicle, a sea vehicle, a manufactured part, a human face, and a human body.

26. The object-tracking system according to claim 15 , wherein multiple sets of said two-dimensional data at different temporal instances are used for providing said output signal, wherein each of said multiple sets corresponds to one unique temporal instance out of said different temporal instances.

27. The object-tracking system according to claim 15 , wherein the sensor is at least one of an intensity sensor, a gray-level camera, a color camera, a hyperspectral optical sensor, a distance sensitive sensor and a ladar sensor.

28. The object-tracking system according to claim 15 , wherein multiple objects are identified simultaneously in said at least one set of said two-dimensional data.

29. A method comprising:

receiving, from a sensor, representing an object, wherein said data corresponds to one temporal instance and is generated by the sensor; and

processing, via a computing device, said data using at least one tracker-identifier for providing an output signal including at least one of a type of the object a position, and an orientation of the object;

generating synthetic object images, via said processing, by selecting points on a surface of a four-dimensional quaternion hyperhemisphere using a predetermined method; and

wherein said processing comprises generating harmonic images out of said synthetic object images, wherein at least one of said synthetic object images contains said object, by summing said synthetic object images using hyperspherical harmonic weights.

30. A system comprising:

a sensor configured to receive data representing an object, wherein said data corresponds to one temporal instance of the object;

a computing device including at least one tracker-identifier configured to process said data and further configured to provide an output signal including at least one of a type of the object, a position, and an orientation of the object;

an object-model database in communication with said at least one tracker-identifier for providing points on a surface of a four-dimensional quaternion hyperhemisphere for generating synthetic object images using a predetermined method; and

wherein said processing comprises generating harmonic images out of said synthetic object images, wherein at least one of said synthetic object images contains said object, by summing said synthetic object images using hyperspherical harmonic weights.