SMM 2018

•••6••• Innovationen Ideal for monitoring New smart camera for underwater images E ven better underwater images: The smart camera SynaptiCam – an em- bedded system, in combination with one or multiple cameras, makes it possible to recognize, classify and segment objects in real time. This smart camera is ideal for monitoring and observing underwater situ- ations, and combines low power consump- tion with simple integration with diverse camera types. It is also remarkably compact and, as a result, highly versatile, accord- ing to Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research (IGD). More than two thirds of the earth is cov- ered by water, but we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about marine life. Yet the importance of the world’s oceans as a habitat and economic resource continues to grow. To make the most effective and above all sustainable use of oceans as a means of transporta- tion, and as a source of oil, gas and food, calls for technologies tailored to the unique challenges of submarine conditions. These include visibility, pressure and currents. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research (IGD) are developing visual computing applications, in particular for visualization and image en- hancement. Their SynaptiCam can be mounted onto an underwater vehicle, or installed in a fixed position. It captures and processes images in real time. Potential applications include observing fish, monitoring and inspecting offshore infrastructure, and document- ing diving expeditions. In the past, pho- tographed fish, for example, were simply counted and analyzed manually. Now, it is possible to automatically categorize individ- ual species, and to scan fish dimensions in a way that allows estimates to be made of their weight. Pre-trained neural networks help researchers to differentiate between certain fish species and to correctly inter- pret what they are seeing. 3D reconstruc- tion and object recognition are the current focus of work in the field of underwater computer vision at Fraunhofer IGD. Founded 30 years ago, Fraunhofer IGD has become the world’s leading institution for applied research in the field of visual com- puting. Visual computing means image and model-based IT. In simple terms, it de- scribes the capability of transforming in- formation into images (computer graphics) and extracting information from images (computer vision). The numerous applica- tion scenarios include human/machine in- teraction, interactive simulation, and mod- eling situations. Fascinating underwater world: Here, technologies tailored to the unique challenges of submarine conditions are crucial. Photo: Milos Prelevic on Unsplash SynaptiCam is a so called smart camera. An embedded system, in combination with one or multiple cameras, makes it possible to recognize, classify and segment objects in real time. Photo: Fraunhofer IGD & Romolo Tavani – Fotolia SWT 3.1 Top system SWT 3.1